Columbia  SJntoertfttp 
intljeCttpofitotork 


LIBRARY 


PURCHASED  FROM 
THE 

WILLIAM  C.  SCHERMERHORN 
MEMORIAL  FUND 


£*/< 


&* 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY ; 


CGXIRFIILNDING 


NOTICES  Or  THE  POETICAL  WORKS 


JOHN  AND  CHARLES  WESLEY. 


SHOWING  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THEIR  HYMNS  IN  THE  METHODIST 

EPISCOPAL,  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  SOUTH,  AND 

WESLEYAN  COLLECTIONS ; 

ALSO, 

OF  SUCH  OTHER  HYMNS  AS  ARE  NOT  WESLEYAN,  IN  THE  METHODIST 
EPISCOPAL  HYMN-BOOK, 

AND  SOME  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  AUTHORS  ; 


tOitt)  Critical  anb  historical  ©bseruatione. 


BY    DAVID     CREAMER. 


Wetu-Uork : 


PUBLISHED    FOR    THE    AUTHOR, 

200  Mulberry-street. 

JOSEPH  LONGKING,  PRINTER. 

1848. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1848, 

By  David  Creamer, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Southern  District  of 
New-York. 


37-4- 


°\^%M 


L 


%\o 


P» 

TO 

REV.  THOMAS  B.  SARGENT, 

OF  THE  BALTIMORE  ANNUAL  CONFERENCE  OF  THE  METHODIST  E.  CHURCH, 

£l)fs    Volume, 

THE  RESULT  OF  SEVERAL  YEARS'  STUDY,  COMMENCED  AND  COMPLETED, 

WITH  HIS  AID  AND  ENCOURAGEMENT, 

IS  RESPECTFULLY  INSCRIBED, 

AS  A  TOKEN  OF  GRATEFUL  ACKNOWLEDGMENT, 

BY  HIS  SINCERE  FRIEND, 

THE  AUTHOR. 


PREFACE. 


Unimportant  as  the  present  work  may  appear,  and  humble 
the  place  it  may  till  in  the  department  of  our  sacred  literature, 
the  author  would  be  unjust  to  himself,  were  he  to  send  it  forth 
without  sending  with  it  some  account  of  the  circumstances  under 
which  it  was  prepared.  Early  in  life  he  became  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  the  spiritual  birthplace  of  his  ho- 
nored parents,  and  of  a  sainted  maternal  grandsire.  With  his 
religious  habits  came  an  increasing  desire  to  do  something  that 
would  advance  the  cause  of  Christ,  and  promote  the  interests  of 
his  church ;  but  being  sedulously  engaged  in  mercantile  affairs, 
his  leisure  hours  alone  could  be  devoted  to  literary  pursuits. 
Among  these  the  history  of  his  own  denomination  ;  the  records 
of  the  good  and  the  great  that  have  adorned  her  pulpits  and 
literary  walks,  and  the  memoirs  of  whose  lives  and  labors  con- 
stitute an  inheritance  for  the  children  of  the  church  above  all 
price  ;  were  some  of  the  chief  sources  whence  he  derived  spiritual 
and  mental  food.  Of  course,  the  works  of  the  venerated  Wes- 
leys  were  not  overlooked ;  and  the  poetic  talent  they  exhibited 
presented  attractions  not  to  be  found  elsewhere.  The  Hymn- 
book,  which  is  composed  principally  of  their  poetical  effusions, 
soon  obtained  a  place  high  in  his  affections,  and  he  desired  to 
know  more  about  its  history  and  contents  than  could  be  obtained 
from  merely  perusing  its  pages.  Collateral  aid  was  invoked. 
Little,  however,  could  be  found  in  this  country ;  and  years  passed 
by  ere  he  could  accomplish  his  purpose  by  importing  from  Eng- 
land a  complete  set  of  the  Poetical  Works  of  Messrs.  John  and 
Charles  "Wesley,  as  far  at  least  as  they  contribute  to  the  contents 
of  the  Hymn-book.  These  works  he  has  now  secured  and  con- 
sulted, with  the  exception  of  a  single  small  tract.  And,  for- 
tunately, that  is  noticed  so  fully  by  Mr.  Jackson  in  the  English 
edition  of  his  Life  of  its  author,  as  to  leave  but  little,  if  anything, 
unknown  concerning  it.  While  in  the  pursuit  of  his  studies,  the 
thought  was  suggested  to  him,  that  others  might  feci  the  same 


6  PREFACE. 

desire  to  become  better  acquainted  with  the  history  of  the  Hymn- 
book  ;  that  prompted  him  to  his  researches,  and  he  eventually 
determined  to  embody  his  labors  in  a  volume,  and  publish  them. 
After  he  had  been  thus  engaged  for  some  time,  he  was  greatly 
encouraged  in  his  undertaking  by  finding,  in  a  minister  of  our 
church,  one  who  regarded  its  hymnology  with  an  interest  equal 
to  his  own.  Since  then  they  have  in  a  measure  pursued  the  sub- 
ject together,  and  to  him  the  author  is  indebted  for  much  valuable 
information  in  the  preparation  of  his  work. 

When  the  author  first  directed  his  attention  to  Methodist  or 
Wesleyan  hymnology,  the  subject  had  attracted  but  little  public 
interest.  Soon  after  his  earliest  newspaper  articles  were  pub- 
lished, he  was  somewhat,  though  agreeably,  surprised  to  find  that, 
simultaneously  with  himself,  two  other  persons,  one  in  our  own 
country,  the  other  in  England,  were  devoting  some  attention  to 
the  same  topic ;  both  of  whom  have  since  published  the  results 
of  their  labors :  the  former,  Dr.  Floy,  in  a  review  of  the  M.  E. 
Hymn-book  in  the  Methodist  Quarterly  Eeview  for  May,  1 844 ; 
the  latter,  Mr.  Burgess,  in  a  small  volume,  entitled  "  Wesleyan 
Hymnology,  or  a  Companion  to  the  Wesleyan  Hymn-book," 
which  appeared  in  London,  in  1845,  and  passed  to  a  second 
edition  the  following  year.  During  the  past  year,  the  M.  E. 
Church,  South,  have  published  a  new  collection  of  Hymns,  pre- 
pared by  an  able  committee,  of  which  the  Rev.  Dr.  Summers 
was  chairman.  An  elaborate  review  of  the  new  Hymn-book, 
comprising  upward  of  sixty  pages,  appeared  in  the  Southern 
Methodist  Quarterly  Review  for  January,  1848.  These  publi- 
cations, together  with  a  small  tract  of  thirty  or  forty  pages,  ably 
written  by  the  Rev.  Thomas  Roberts,  and  issued  at  Bristol  in 
1808 ;  the  brief  but  valuable  observations  of  Mr.  Watson,  in  his 
Life  of  Wesley ;  the  still  more  concise  remarks  of  Mr.  Moore ; 
and  the  equally  interesting,  but  more  extended,  review  of  Wes- 
leyan poetry,  by  Mr.  Jackson,  in  his  biography  of  Charles 
Wesley ;  in  connection  with  which,  perhaps,  ought  to  be  men- 
tioned the  remarks  of  Milner,  in  his  Life  of  Dr.  Watts,  of  Holland, 
in  his  Psalmists  of  Britain,  and  some  brief  notices  by  James 
Montgomery,  in  his  Christian  Psalmist,  and  other  Avorks  ;  com- 
prise nearly  all  that  has  been  published  on  this  deeply  interest- 
ing and  important  department  of  church  literature. 

Although  the  work  now  presented  to  the  public  is  the  latest 


PREFACE.  7 

and  most  comprehensive  history  of  Methodist  hymnology  that 
has  yet  appeared,  the  author  having  enriched  its  contents  from 
all  available  sources,  he  is  fully  aware  that  the  subject  is  by  no 
means  exhausted.  And  if  he  shall  awaken  new  interest  in  the 
minds  of  the  membership  in  relation  to  an  important,  though 
long-neglected,  part  of  sacred  literature,  but  one  intimately  asso- 
ciated with  our  history  as  Methodists ;  and  especially  if  he  shall 
be  the  occasion  of  bringing  abler  pens,  and  better  hearts,  to  the 
consideration  and  elucidation  of  this  subject,  he  will  find  an 
ample  reward  for  his  labors  in  the  pleasing  and  approving  con- 
sciousness of  having  done  his  duty,  and  accomplished  a  "  good 
work." 

The  plan  of  the  following  work  is  simple,  consisting  of  three 
parts. 

Part  First  embraces  brief  sketches  of  the  authors  of  the 
hymns  in  the  Hymn-book  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
biographical,  historical,  and  critical ;  showing  the  relation  each 
sustained  to  Methodism,  when  there  was  such  a  connection,  and 
giving  such  other  facts  as  it  was  thought  would  be  most  interest- 
ing, in  the  limited  space  allowed  for  that  purpose.  This  portion 
of  his  work  has  cost  the  author  much  less  trouble,  and  is,  per- 
haps, of  less  importance,  than  either  of  the  other  parts. 

Part  Second  is  devoted  entirely  to  a  history  and  review  of 
the  poetical  works  of  John  and  Charles  Wesley.  Here  is  shown 
the  origin  of  all  their  hymns,  first,  in  the  Hymn-book  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  then  such  hymns  as  are  found  in 
the  Hymn-book  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  but 
not  in  the  former  work ;  lastly,  such  hymns  as  are  in  the  Wesleyan 
collection,  but  not  in  either  of  the  other  two  works.  It  is  desirable 
that  this  feature  of  the  plan  should  be  remembered  in  reading 
the  Second  Part.  The  number  of  poetical  publications,  large  and 
small,  of  John  and  Charles  Wesley,  amount  to  over  forty ;  but 
several  of  them  are  compilations,  principally  however  from  their 
own  works.  The  first  Hymn-book  published  by  Mr.  J.  Wesley 
was  in  1738,  the  last  in  1788.  just  half  a  century  intervening  be- 
tween them. 

In  this  part  of  his  work  the  author  thinks  he  has  given  some 
facts  in  the  lives  of  the  brothers  not  mentioned  by  their  biogra- 
phers, and  of  course  not  generally  known.  He  also  thinks  some 
additional  light  has  been  elicited,  by  which  the  future  historian 


8  PREFACE. 

of  Methodism  may  be  led  to  correct  conclusions  on  certain  ob- 
scure or  uncertain  points. 

Part  Tiiird.  This  part  of  the  work — although  in  reference 
to  some  hymns  similar  statements  are  repeated — contains  the 
greatest  variety  of  topics,  and  by  many  will  be  considered  the 
most  valuable,  if  this  term  may  be  applied  to  any  portion  of  it. 
The  hymns  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Hymn-book  are  noticed 
in  consecutive  order :  the  original  title  of  each  hymn  is  given, 
when  there  is  one :  the  text  of  Scripture  on  which  founded, 
whether  the  hymn  be  a  paraphrase  of  a  number  of  verses,  or  a 
dilatation  of  a  single  verse,  or  part  of  a  verse  ;  the  full  number 
of  original  stanzas ;  notices  of  alterations,  omissions,  emendations, 
&c. ;  occasional  defects  developed ;  beauties  exhibited ;  sublime 
passages  of  thought  or  expression  pointed  out ;  omitted  stanzas  of 
a  remarkable  character,  and  there  are  many  such,  are  inserted, 
some  of  which  will  be  found  necessary  to  a  proper  understand- 
ing of  those  that  have  been  retained ;  occasional  observations,  criti- 
cal, historical,  and  exegetical,  are  introduced :  parallel  passages 
from  our  poet  and  the  best  English  poets,  living  and  dead,  are 
quoted,  showing  a  remarkable  coincidence  in  thought  and  ex- 
pression, from  which  it  will  appear  that  in  plethory  of  poetic 
inspiration,  sublimity  of  matter  and  conception,  and  classical 
purity  of  style,  Wesley  was  in  all  respects  their  equal. 

Deficient  in  many  respects  as  the  work  may  be,  no  labor  nor 
expense  has  been  spared  in  procuring  from  all  available  sources, 
but  principally  by  importation  from  London,  works  of  reference, 
to  insure  full  and  correct  information  on  all  points.  The  original 
texts  of  all  the  hymns  in  the  Hymn-book,  with  but  very  few 
exceptions,  have  been  examined  in  the  works  of  the  authors. 
This  has  enabled  the  writer  to  point  out  what  alterations,  omis- 
sions, and  emendations,  have  been  made  in  the  hymns  either  by 
the  compilers  of  our  collection,  or  by  others.  The  volume  may  be 
consulted  with  nearly  equal  interest  by  the  different  branches  of 
the  great  Wesleyan  Methodist  family ;  and  the  author  flatters  him- 
self that  his  humble  attempt  to  produce  a  work  on  a  subject 
that  has  received,  especially  in  this  country,  comparatively 
little  attention,  will  not  be  deemed  altogether  undeserving  of 
notice.  He,  however,  with  becoming  diffidence,  places  it  upon 
the  altar  of  public  opinion,  and  shall  patiently  await  the  verdict. 
The  author's  thanks  are  due  to  several  individuals  for  their 


PREFACE.  9 

kindness  and  courtesy  in  furnishing  him,  or  procuring  for  him, 
valuable  works  of  reference,  without  which  his  volume  would  be 
less  complete  than  it  now  appears.  He  therefore  returns  his  most 
respectful  acknowledgments  to  the  Rev.  Thomas  B.  Sargent  and 
John  G.  Chappell,  Esq.,  of  Baltimore;  and  to  Richard  Barnes, 
Esq.,  of  London,  for  the  very  important  aid  they  have  rendered 
him  in  the  preparation  of  this  work.  D.  C. 

K.  Monument-street,  Baltimore,  May,  1848. 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMITTEE    OF  THE  BALTIMORE   ANNUAL 
CONFERENCE,  BALTIMORE,  MARCH,  1848. 

The  committee  to  whom  was  referred  the  MSS.  of  brother 
David  Creamer  of  this  city,  entitled,  ';  A  History  of  the  Hymn- 
book  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,"  beg  leave  respectfully 
to  report, — 

That  they  have  examined  the  work  as  carefully  and  minutely 
as  the  limited  time  afforded  them  allowed,  and  are  of  opinion 
that  it  will  be  a  valuable  and  important  contribution  to  our 
sacred  literature,  on  a  subject  confessedly  inaccessible  to  the  re- 
searches of  our  ministry  and  membership  generally,  and  espe- 
cially in  this  country. 

The  book  contains  the  results  of  six  years'  absorbing  study  of 
this  engaging  branch  of  sacred  poetry,  with  unequaled  aids  and 
facilities,  embodying  a  brief  memoir  of  each  lyrist  to  whose 
sanctified  genius  the  church  is  indebted  for  these  ':  Songs  of  Zion;" 
verifying  the  authors  of  the  hymns  in  our  book,  as  far  as  they 
have  been  discovered,  giving  in  many  instances  the  time  and  oc- 
casion  of  their  composition,  and,  besides,  a  mass  of  critical  obser- 
vation-, which  we  are  convinced  will  give  new  information  to  a 
majority  of  readers.  The  entire  production  is  so  fully  Wes- 
i.eyax  and  Metiiodistic,  that  your  committee  are  of  opinion, 
that  this  conference  may  safely  advise  its  immediate  publication 
by  our  Book  Concern  ;  and  as  the  hymnology  of  the  church  is 
in  various  quarters  attracting  increased  attention,  we  may,  as  a 
conference,  recommend  the  book  to  the  favorable  consideration 
of  the  coming  General  Conference  of  our  church. 


CONTENTS 


Preface Page  5 

Part  First. — Containing  some  Account  of  the 
Authors  of  the  Hymns  in  the  Methodist 
Hymn-book 11 

Part  Second. — Comprehending  Notices  of  the 
Poetical  Works  of  John  and  Charles 
Wesley 93 

Part  Third. — Wherein  are  noticed,  in  Consecu- 
tive Order,  the  Hymns  in  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Hymn-book,  with  Remarks, 
Critical,  Historical,  Explanatory,  &c 230 

Index 465 


METHODIST  HYMNOLOGY. 


PART  I. 

CONTAINING  SOME  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  AUTHORS  OF  THE 
HYMNS  IN  THE  METHODIST  HYMN-BOOK. 

Ix  the  Hymn-book  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
there  are  six  hundred  and  ninety-seven  hymns;  and, 
although  Mr.  Charles  Wesley  wrote  at  least  five  hun- 
dred, and  Mr.  John  Wesley  about  thirty,  the  remaining 
hymns  were  contributed  by  upward  of  thirty  different 
authors.  Among  these  are  the  elder  and  younger 
Samuel  Wesley,  father  and  brother  of  the  founder  of 
Methodism.  It  will  be  our  province,  in  this  part  of 
our  work,  to  give  some  account  of  these  several  authors  : 
principally,  however,  as  relates  to  their  contributions 
to  Methodist  hymnology ;  their  association,  incidental, 
or  otherwise,  with  Methodism ;  or  their  character  as 
hvmnologists,  derived  from  such  sources  of  information 
as  may  be  within  our  reach.  These,  in  some  instances, 
being  very  limited,  our  sketches  will  be  correspond- 
ingly brief ;  nor  shall  we  in  any  case  substitute  our 
own  imperfect  observations  for  what  we  may  find  al- 
ready prepared  to  our  hand,  of  an  authentic  character, 
and  in  a  more  finished  style ;  making  always  due  ac- 
knowledgment for  every  such  quotation.  We  begin 
with  the  poet  of  Methodism. 


12  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 


Cljcxrks  ilUsleg. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Burgess,*  author  of  a  valuable  and 
highly  interesting  work,  entitled  "Wesleyan  Hymn- 
ology,"  remarks  :  "  While  contemplating  the  human 
agency  by  which  God  was  pleased  to  carry  on  the 
great  work  of  Methodism,  we  should  never  forget  the 
venerated  name  of  Charles  Wesley.  He  was  a  lively 
and  powerful  preacher  of  the  gospel,  and,  in  his  earlier 
days,  assisted  his  brother  very  considerably  by  his  minis- 
terial labors.  But  his  chief  and  distinguishing  excel- 
lence was,  his  talent  for  sacred  poetry.  He  has  been 
denominated,  with  great  justice  and  propriety,  the 
bard  of  Methodism. 

"  As  God  was  about  to  raise  up  a  new  body  of  pro- 
fessing Christians,  who  were  in  time  to  become  very 
numerous  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic,  it  was  proper 
and  necessary  that  they  should  be  furnished  with  a 
sufficient  variety  of  suitable  hymns  for  public  worship 
and  for  all  devotional  purposes.  Nothing  existed  in 
those  days,  that  could  by  any  means  answer  the  de- 

*  In  the  "  Wesleyan  Takings,"  supposed  to  be  written  by  the 
Kev.  James  Everett,  Mr.  B.  is  thus  taken:  "  Considerable  skill 
in  music,  both  as  a  composer  and  player  on  the  piano  forte.  A 
good  volume  of  voice ;  clear  in  his  conceptions,  and  exquisite  in 
his  definitions ;  full  of  interest.  A  man  upon  whom  the  sun  of 
science  has  shone  from  above,  and  upon  whom  industrious 
teachers  have  scattered  the  seeds  of  instruction  below ;  but  whose 
mental  soil,  independent  of  these,  stirred  and  manured  by  self- 
cultivation,  would  have  produced  not  only  flowers  and  fruit,  but 
trees  of  stately  and  noble  growth.  Son  of  a  preacher,  set  out  in 
1812— no  inapt  illustration  of — For  his  letters,  say  the}/,  are  weighty 
and  powerful ;  but  his  bodily  presence  is  weak.'" 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOOY.  13 

mands  or  supply  the  wants  of  this  new  society.  The 
version  of  the  Psalms  by  Brady  and  Tate,  though  it 
possesses  some  merit,  and  exhibits  some  specimens  of 
tolerably  good  poetry,  would,  on  the  whole,  have  been 
very  meagre  and  unsatisfactory  to  those  who  had  en- 
tered so  largely  into  the  enjoyment  of  Christian  expe- 
rience and  Christian  privileges.  Even  Watts's  Psalms 
and  Hymns,  though  by  far  the  best  collection  of  de- 
votional poetry  then  extant,  were  in  some  respects 
unsuitable,  and,  as  a  whole,  insufficient.  As  John 
Wesley  and  Fletcher  had  each  his  own  peculiar  depart- 
ment in  the  common  work — a  department  for  which 
each  was  eminently  fitted,  and  to  which  their  energi<  a 
were  faithfully  and  perseveringly  applied — so  also 
Charles  Wesley  had  his  own  peculiar  department ;  one 
for  which  he  was  specially  qualified,  and  in  which  no 
other  person  could  have  succeeded  so  well.  Had  not 
Charles  Wesley  been  providentially  led  to  write  sacred 
poetry,  there  would  have  been  a  very  serious  deficiency 
in  the  system  of  Methodism;  its  progress  would  not 
have  been  so  rapid,  nor  its  influences  so  extensive.  It 
could  not  have  been  so  serviceable  in  kindling  and  sus- 
taining the  devotional  spirit  in  the  great  congregation, 
or  in  aiding  the  religious  exercises  of  the  family  and  the 
duties  of  the  closet.  It  could  not  have  contributed  so 
largely  to  alarm  the  careless  and  impenitent  sinner ;  to 
encourage  and  assist  the  sincere  seeker  of  salvation  ;  to 
comfort  the  Christian  believer  amid  all  the  difficulties 
and  discouragements  of  his  way  ;  to  urge  him  on  to  the 
pursuit  and  attainment  of  high  degrees  of  holiness;  to 
administer  consolation  to  the  subjects  of  pain  and  af- 
fliction ;  and  to  enable  the  dying  Christian  to  meet  the 
last  enemy  with   composure  and  fortitude,  triumphing 


14  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

through  his  great  Redeemer.  To  Watts  and  to  Charles 
Wesley  this  honor  peculiarly  belongs ;  and  to  the  latter 
in  as  high  a  sense  as  to  the  former.  Watts,  indeed, 
took  the  lead  ;  he  had  the  precedence,  in  point  of  time  : 
but,  in  every  other  respect,  the  two  poets  may  be  con- 
sidered as  occupying  the  same  rank  :  only  with  this 
difference,  that  Wesley's  talents  were  destined  specially 
to  serve  the  interests  of  Methodism  ;  and  Watts's,  those 
of  other  Christian  denominations. 

"  If  we  view  the  Wesleyan  hymns  merely  as  poetical 
compositions,  we  shall  find  them  to  be  of  a  very  supe- 
rior description,  and  deserving  of  the  highest  rank 
among  productions  of  this  class.  Excepting  a  small 
proportion  of  Watts's  hymns,  and  some  of  more  recent 
date  by  Cowper,  Montgomery,  Heber,  and  a  few  others, 
there  are  no  hymns  whatever  that  deserve  to  be  ranked 
with  those  of  Charles  Wesley.  Doddridge,  Toplady, 
Newton,  Cennick,  Steele,  Beddome,  and  a  host  of 
others,  are  of  an  inferior  class.  Even  Watts,  with  all 
his  greatness  and  excellence,  is  not  entitled  to  that 
unqualified  commendation  which  by  many  has  been 
bestowed  upon  him.  It  has  long  been  the  opinion  of 
the  writer  of  these  remarks,  that  in  a  poetical  point  of 
view  the  great  majority  of  Watts's  psalms  and  hymns 
are  not  a  whit  above  mediocrity,  and  many  of  them  be- 
low it.  It  was  a  circumstance  highly  advantageous  to 
the  poetical  character  of  Charles  Wesley,  that  his  com- 
positions were  submitted  to  the  keen  and  discriminating 
eye  of  his  brother  John,  and  that  from  the  whole  was 
formed  that  admirable  selection  which  is  found  in  the 
general  Hymn-book.  For,  on  examining  the  entire 
mass,  it  will  appear  that  those  hymns  and  verses  which 
were  omitted,  were,  with  few  exceptions,  much  inferior 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  15 

to  those  which  were  taken ;  and  that  we  have  in  that 
publication  the  best  and  choicest  portions  of  the  whole. 
Had  the  excellent  Watts  possessed  some  friend,  who 
would  have  acted  in  a  similar  way  toAvard  him,  by  se- 
lecting, abridging,  and  retrenching,  from  the  entire  mass 
of  his  sacred  poetry,  and  would  have  published  this 
residuum  only,  that  eminent  man  might  have  appeared 
to  greater  advantage  as  a  Christian  poet.  There  are 
many  of  Watts's  compositions  so  meagre,  so  barren  in 
poetic  beauty,  so  destitute  of  dignity,  that  were  these 
the  only  specimens  of  his  ability,  we  might  doubt  whe- 
ther he  ought  to  be  numbered  among  poets  at  all.  But, 
on  the  other  hand,  it  must  be  allowed,  that  some  of  his 
compositions  possess  high  degrees  of  excellence  and 
merit.  Those  of  Watts's  psalms  and  hymns  that  are  em- 
bodied in  the  Wesleyan  collection  are  the  best  that  he 
ever  wrote.  Had  he  written  no  others,  his  name  would 
have  been  immortalized  among  the  lovers  of  sacred 
poetry,  and  his  rank  among  Christian  poets  would  have 
been  as  high  as  it  now  is. 

"  Some  may  be  disposed  to  inquire  how  it  is,  that  the 
high  claims  of  Charles  Wesley,  as  a  writer  of  sacred 
verse,  have  been  so  generally  overlooked,  and  that  his 
compositions  are  so  little  known  beyond  the  pale  of  the 
Methodist  societies  and  congregations.  Various  causes, 
undoubtedly,  have  concurred  to  produce  this  effect. 
That  they  who  are  strangers  to  inward  and  experimental 
religion,  should  not  relish  or  admire  such  works,  is  just 
what  might  be  expected.  These  hymns  are  full  of 
religion ;  every  sentiment  is  most  decidedly  edifying 
and  devout.  There  is  nothing  to  gratify  a  carnal  taste  ; 
nothing  to  encourage  pride,  self-esteem,  love  of  worldly 
honor  and  applause ;  nothing  to  meet  the  feelings  of 


16  METHODIST    HTMNOLOGT. 

those  who  are  desirous  of  sensual  pleasures  and  in- 
dulgences ;  and  nothing  adapted  to  the  views  of  those 
who  would  reduce  religion  to  a  mere  set  of  opinions, 
and  a  round  of  external  observances.  They  who  reject 
all  that  constitutes  the  life,  and  power,  and  essence  of 
inward  religion,  will,  of  course,  reject  a  book  which 
everywhere  assumes  the  supreme  importance  and  the 
absolute  necessity  of  that  experience,  to  which  they 
know  themselves  to  be  total  strangers.  The  depravity 
of  our  fallen  nature,  the  carnality  of  the  mind,  and  our 
consequent  aversion  to  the  heart-searching  and  hum- 
bling truths  of  Holy  Scripture,  will  fully  account  for  the 
neglect  and  dislike  of  these  hymns  among  many. 

"  That  these  hymns  have  been  greatly  undervalued  by 
others,  may  be  attributed  to  Calvinistic  prejudices. 
They  who  in  their  theological  views  adopt  a  larger  or 
smaller  proportion  of  the  peculiarities  of  Calvinism,  will, 
of  course,  seek  for  hymns  written  by  persons  of  their 
own  sentiments :  and  this,  unquestionably,  is  one  prin- 
cipal reason  why,  by  many,  the  hymns  of  Watts, 
Doddridge,  Toplady,  Hart,  and  Newton,  are  preferred 
to  those  of  Wesley.  Had  Charles  Wesley  been  a  Cal- 
vinist,  and  had  he,  with  precisely  the  same  degree  of 
poetical  talent  and  skill,  interspersed  a  little  Cahinian 
theology  throughout  his  hymns,  they  would,  no  doubt, 
have  been  lauded  and  prized  most  highly  among  the 
Independents,  the  Baptists,  and  all  classes  of  evangelical 
non- conformists  ;  and  ere  this  time  if  Watts,  Doddridge, 
Hart,  and  similar  writers,  had  not  been  excluded  from 
their  sanctuaries,  at  any  rate  Wesley  would  have  taken 
the  precedence  of  them  all,  and  would  have  stood  first 
on  their  list.  And  among  the  pious  ministers  and  mem- 
bers of  the  Church  of  England,  some,  in  consequence 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  17 

of  their  Calvinistic  predilections,  and  others,  througli  a 
fear  of  receiving  or  sanctioning  anything  that  is  not 
stamped  with  the  approbation  and  recommended  by  the 
authority  of  prelates  and  convocations,  royal  declara- 
tions and  acts  of  parliament,  have  remained  insensible 
to  the  merits  of  Charles  Wesley's  sacred  poetry." 

But  the  church  is  waking  up  to  the  claims  of  her 
poet,  and  the  literary  world  is  beginning  to  appreciate 
his  merits.  James  Montgomery,  himself  one  of  Eng- 
land's noblest  poets,  in  his  Lectures  on  Poetry,  Gene- 
ral Literature,  &c. — a  work  Avhich  has  become  a  part  of 
the  standard  literature  of  the  age — has  made  honorable 
mention  of  Charles  Wesley  as  a  poet ;  as  he  has  also 
done  in  two  other  works,  namely,  the  Christian  Poet 
and  the  Christian  Psalmist.  In  the  last-mentioned 
work  he  speaks  of  him  thus :  "  Christian  experience, 
from  the  deeps  of  afflictions,  through  all  the  gradations 
of  doubt,  fear,  desire,  faith,  hope,  expectation,  to  the 
transports  of  perfect  love,  in  the  very  beams  of  the 
beatific  vision  ;  Christian  experience  furnishes  him  with 
everlasting  and  inexhaustible  themes :  and  it  must  be 
confessed  that  he  has  celebrated  them  with  an  affluence 
of  diction,  and  a  splendor  of  coloring,  rarely  surpassed. 
At  the  same  time  he  has  invested  them  with  a  power 
of  truth,  and  endeared  them  both  to  the  imagination 
and  affections,  with  a  pathos  which  makes  feeling  con- 
viction, and  leaves  the  understanding  little  to  do,  but  to 
acquiesce  in  the  decisions  of  the  heart.  As  the  poet  of 
Methodism,  he  has  sung  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel  as 
they  are  expounded  among  that  people,  dwelling  espe- 
cially on  the  personal  appropriation  of  the  words  of 
eternal  life  to  the  sinner,  or  the  saint,  as  the  test  of  his 
actual  state  before  God,  and  admitting  nothing  less 


18  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

than  the  full  assurance  of  faith  as  the  privilege  of  be- 
lievers : 

1  Faith,  mighty  faith,  the  promise  sees, 
Eelics  on  that  alone, 
Laughs  at  impossibilities, 
And  says,  "  It  shall  be  done." 

'  Faith  lends  her  realizing  light ; 

The  clouds  disperse,  the  shadows  fly, 
The  Invisible  appears  in  sight, 

And  God  is  seen  by  mortal  eye.' 

"  These  are  glimpses  of  our  author's  manner :  broad 
indeed,  and  awful,  but  singularly  illustrative ;  like  light- 
ning out  of  darkness,  revealing  for  a  moment  the  whole 
hemisphere." 

This  beautiful  extract,  while  it  does  justice  to  Charles 
Wesley,  is  creditable  to  Montgomery,  as  the  opinion  of 
the  greatest  living  English  poet,  and  the  most  compe- 
tent person  to  appreciate  the  merits,  and  describe  the 
true  character,  of  C.  Wesley  as  a  poet ;  and,  whatever 
others  may  say  to  the  contrary,  the  sentiments  here 
recorded  will  hereafter  be  the  standard  by  which  his 
poetry  must  be  estimated. 

The  first  poetical  productions  of  John  and  Charles 
Wesley  were  published  jointly,  but  without  any  means 
of  distinguishing  between  them.  The  Rev.  Samuel 
Bradburn,  the  intimate  friend  and  companion  of  Mr. 
John  Wesley,  says :  "He  had  a  fine  taste  for  poetiy, 
and  composed  himself  many  of  our  hymns  ;  but  he  told 
me,  that  he  and  his  brother  agreed  not  to  distinguish . 
their  hymns  from  each  other."  This  is  an  exceedingly  ! 
interesting  fact,  and  one  which,  we  think,  none  of  Mr. 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  19 

Wesley's  biographers  have  noticed.  It  is  evident,  how- 
ever, that  it  refers  only  to  such  of  their  compositions  as 
were  published  together  in  the  same  volume ;  for 
Charles  Wesley  published  several  volumes  of  hymns 
and  poems  in  his  name  alone,  which  were  thus  authen- 
ticated to  be  his  own.  But  most  of  their  tracts,  and 
some  volumes  of  hymns,  were  published  without  either 
of  their  names,  which  may  be  accounted  for  by  the 
circumstance  related  by  Mr.  Bradburn ;  although  it  is 
well  known  that  much  the  larger  proportion  of  hymns 
were  written  by  Charles.  This  fact  is  stated  in  the 
preface  to  the  English  Hymn-book ;  but  the  mystery 
involving  the  authorship  of  some  hymns  will  ever  be 
matter  of  regret  to  the  admirers  of  the  brother  bards  : 
but  at  the  same  time  it  will  form  a  lasting  memorial  of 
their  indissoluble  friendship.  "  Lovely  in  life,  in  death 
not  divided,"  is  a  sentiment  perhaps  never  more  aptly 
applied  than  to  these  incomparable  men. 

There  were  in  all  the  earlier  poetical  publications  of 
the  Wesleys  a  number  of  translations  from  the  German. 
To  ascertain  satisfactorily  the  authorship  of  these  com- 
posures has  been  the  anxious  desire  of  some  of  the 
most  eminent  and  learned  waiters  of  the  Wesleyan 
Methodist  Church  ;  among  whom,  as  the  most  promi- 
nent, may  be  named  Mr.  Watson  and  Mr.  Jackson. 
These  gentlemen  have  both  recorded  their  sentiments 
upon  the  subject,  but  they  differ  in  opinion  ;  hence  the 
point,  by  some,  is  considered  not  only  unsettled,  but 
having  been  left  undetermined  by  the  brothers  them- 
selves, must  remain  for  ever  doubtful.  And  when  such 
minds  as  those  above  referred  to,  in  their  search  after 
truth,  have  failed  to  arrive  at  a  coincidence  of  opinion, 
well  may  those  of  an  inferior  mold  hesitate  ere  they 


20  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

venture  to  decide.  Mr.  Jackson,  in  his  Life  of  Charles 
Wesley,  attributes  the  translations  to  John  Wesley; 
while  Mr.  Watson,  in  his  biography  of  the  latter, 
ascribes  them  to  Charles  Wesley. 

Before  entering  upon  an  enumeration  and  examina- 
tion of  the  different  poetical  works  of  the  two  brothers, 
it  will  be  necessary  to  notice  in  a  prehminary  way,  and 
to  settle,  if  possible,  the  question  involved  in  this  con- 
troversy, namely :  "  Who  was  the  translator  of  the 
hymns  from  the  German  V 

As  this  is  a  highly  interesting  and  important  ques- 
tion, it  is  proper,  in  an  attempt  to  elucidate  it,  that  the 
arguments,  pro  and  con,  should  be  fairly  exhibited. 
We  shall  therefore  quote  from  the  sixth  English  edition 
of  Watson's  Life  of  John  Wesley,  part  of  his  long  and 
valuable  note,  which  occurs  in  the  fourteenth  chapter, 
on  the  subject  of  Wesleyan  poetry.  These  remarks, 
not  being  found  in  the  American  edition  of  the  work, 
are  of  course  not  familiar  to  American  readers,  and,  on 
that  account,  will  prove  the  more  acceptable.  "  How 
many,"  says  Mr.  Watson,  "of  the  above-mentioned 
translations  from  the  German  were  from  the  pen  of 
John,  and  how  many  were  by  Charles,  will  never  now 
probably  be  ascertained,  since  they  appear  chiefly  in 
books  published  in  their  joint  names.  Some  have, 
indeed,  attributed  the  whole  of  the  translations  from 
the  German  to  John,  as  supposing  that  Charles  did  not 
well  understand  the  German.  But  of  this  we  have  no 
decisive  evidence  ;  and  even  were  it  so,  he  might  turn 
the  ruder  translations  in  the  Moravian  Hymn-book,  which 
are  generally  very  literal,  into  his  own  superior  verse  : 
or  the  sense  of  any  hymn  might  be  given  by  his  brother. 
Certainly  there  is   internal   evidence  in  many  of  the 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  21 

translations  from  the  German,  published  by  the  Wes- 
leys,  of  Charles's  manner.  John's  versions  are  gene- 
rally more  polished  and  elegant ;  Charles  had  more 
fire,  and  was  more  careless.  Miss  Wesley,  indeed,  in 
a  note  on  page  597,  vol.  vii,  American  edition  of  Wes- 
ley's Works,  is  said  by  the  editor  to  have  been  of 
opinion,  that  the  translated  hymns,  when  from  the 
German,  were  all  from  the  pen  of  her  uncle  :  but  they 
had  long  been  published  before  she  was  born  ;  and  she 
always  spoke  on  the  subject  as  a  matter  of  opinion,  and 
not  as  grounded  on  any  explicit  information  which  she 
had  ever  sought,  or  had  ever  received,  from  her  father." 

This  extract  contains  the  gist  of  the  argument  in 
favor  of  C.  Wesley's  claims  to  the  authorship  of  the 
translations  from  the  German ;  but  it  will  be  observed 
that  Mr.  Watson  admits  some  of  them  to  be  the  work 
of  his  brother,  though  he  thinks  the  exact  number  will 
never  be  ascertained.  In  the  first  edition  of  his  bio- 
graphy of  John  Wesley,  which  was  republished  in  this 
country  by  the  Book  Concern  at  New- York,  Mr.  Wat- 
son claims  all  the  translations  for  Charles  ;  and  the 
extract  quoted  above  was  introduced  in  a  subsequent 
edition  of  the  work.  This  fact  proves  that  the  author's 
mind  had  undergone  some  change,  although  he  still 
thought  he  saw  in  some  of  the  translations  certain 
"internal  evidence  of  Charles's  manner." 

Mr.  Jackson  seems  to  have  rested  his  belief,  in  favor 
of  John  Wesley,  upon  the  circumstances  stated  by  Mr. 
Watson,  namely,  the  information  he  received  from  the 
daughter  of  Charles,  that  the  translations  were  made 
by  her  uncle,  and  not  by  her  father ;  and  the  well- 
known  fact  that  John  Wesley  was  conversant  with  the 
German  language,  while  Charles  was  not.     These  ob- 


22  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

jections  Mr.  Watson  has  attempted  to  answer,  but 
certainly  not  in  a  manner  to  preclude  all  doubt  upon 
the  subject.       ^ 

Mr.  Burgess — whose  natural  and  literary  endowments 
are  of  the  highest  order,  and  who  has,  perhaps,  examined 
the  question  as  thoroughly,  and  written  as  extensively 
upon  the  subject  of  Wesley  an  hymnology,  as  any  other 
person — takes  the  same  view  as  Mr.  Jackson.  After 
noticing  the  facts  above  stated,  he  says,  "■  Probably  Mr. 
Watson  is  quite  correct  in  stating,  that  John's  versions 
are  generally  more  polished  and  elegant ;  Charles  had 
more  fire  and  was  more  careless.  And  yet  that  even 
John,  with  all  his  characteristic  calmness  and  sobriety, 
could  sometimes  feel  and  manifest  something  of  poetic 
fire,  is  evident  from  the  last  two  verses  of  the  hymn 
[548,  our  Hymn-book]  which  is  universally  allowed 
to  have  been  written  by  him.  These  two  verses,  espe- 
cially, are  in  a  very  lively,  spirited,  and  impassioned 
strain ;  and  conclude  with  the  wish  often  expressed  in 
the  compositions  of  his  brother  Charles,  that  he  might 
at  once  escape  from  the  toils  and  sufferings  of  this  fife, 
and  be  admitted  into  the  paradise  of  God.  Mr.  Wat- 
son thinks  that  we  have  no  decisive  evidence  that  the 
translations  were  all  made  by  John.  On  that  point  the 
present  writer  takes  leave  to  differ  from  the  great  and 
good  man." 

Mr.  Burgess  then  notices  the  "decisive  evidence" 
which  John  Wesley's  journals  furnish,  that  he  was  ac- 
quainted with  the  German,  and  that  while  in  Georgia, 
he  read,  sung,  and  preached,  in  that  language — his  visit 
to  Herrnhut,  in  1*738,  where  he  not  only  heard  some 
of  the  most  eminent  ministers  preach,  but  also  con- 
versed freely  with  them  in  German — and  remarks,  "  We 


METHODIST    IIYMN0L0GY.  23 

have  no  evidence  at  all  that  Charles  Wesley  ever  studied 
the  German  language,  or  that  he  ever  read  or  under- 
stood any  work  written  therein."  After  mentioning  the 
fact  intimated  above,  that  all  the  hymns  from  the  Ger- 
man appeared  in  the  earlier  works  of  the  two  brothers, 
when  John  was  undoubtedly  familiar  with  the  language, 
that  is,  during  the  years  1*739,  1*740,  and  1742,  he 
proceeds  thus : — 

"  In  his  sermon,  On  knowing  Christ  after  the  Flesh, 
Mr.  Wesley,  speaking  of  the  Moravians,  twenty-six  in 
number,  whom  he  met  with  in  his  voyage  to  America, 
says,  'We  not  only  contracted  much  esteem,  but  a 
strong  affection,  for  them  on  all  occasions.  /  translated 
many  of  their  hymns  for  the  use  of  our  own  congrega- 
tions. Indeed,  as  I  durst  not  implicitly  follow  any 
man,  I  did  not  take  all  that  lay  before  me,  but  selected 
those  which  I  judged  to  be  most  Scriptural,  and  most 
suitable  to  sound  experience.  Yet  I  am  not  sure  that 
I  have  taken  sufficient  care  to  pare  off  every  improper 
word  or  expression.'  Now,  Mr.  Wesley  frequently 
speaks  of  his  brother's  hymns,  and  his  brother's  poetry ; 
and  in  referring  to  the  various  poetical  publications 
which  had  appeared  among  the  Methodists,  he  is  al- 
ways careful  to  associate  his  brother  with  himself. 
And  if  Charles  Wesley  had  had  any  part  in  translating 
the  German  hymns,  John  Wesley's  candor,  accuracy, 
and  regard  for  truth,  would  have  prompted  him  to  say 
so,  and  his  language  would  have  been,  'My  brother  and 
I  translated  many  of  their  hymns.  As  ive  durst  not  im- 
plicitly follow  any  man,  we  did  not  take  all  that  lay  before 
us,'  &c.  But  here  he  uses  the  singular  number  exclu- 
sively, and  speaks  of  himself  alone  as  being  concerned 
in  translating,  judging,  selecting,  and  paring  off  impro- 


24  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

per  expressions.  Taken  in  connection  with  all  the  facts 
and  circumstances  of  the  case,  the  above-quoted  passage 
of  the  sermon  appears  to  furnish  sufficient  and  con- 
clusive evidence,  that  the  hymns  from  the  German 
were  all  translated  by  John  Wesley,  not  by  Charles." 

The  above  extracts  are  made  because  of  their  import- 
ance, and  as  containing  the  most  comprehensive  and 
correct  survey  yet  taken  of  the  subject ;  and  also,  be- 
cause the  work  quoted,  not  having  been  republished  in 
this  country,  cannot  be  consulted  by  the  interested 
reader.  The  writer  has  recently  received  a  letter  from 
Mr.  Burgess,  in  which  he  refers  to  the  point  now  under 
consideration,  in  the  following  manner :  "  I  think  I 
have  proved  (Hymnology,  page  38,  &c.)  that  Mr.  Wat- 
son is  wrong  in  ascribing  some  of  the  translations  from 
the  German  to  Charles  Wesley.  It  is  the  opinion  of 
some  competent  judges,  that  what  I  have  there  written 
has  set  that  question  at  rest,  and  that  henceforward  it 
will  be  regarded  as  a  settled  point,  that  all  translations 
from  the  German  were  made  by  John  Wesley." 

As  it  will  be  pertinent  to  the  subject  in  hand,  it  may 
not  be  improper  here  to  insert  an  extract  from  a  letter 
written  in  reply  to  that  from  which  the  above  quota- 
tion was  taken.  "  In  the  year  1844, 1  published  in  the 
Christian  Advocate  and  Journal,  of  New- York,  three 
articles  on  the  Methodist  Hymn-book.  In  my  third 
article  occur  the  following  remarks:  As  to  the  ques- 
tion, who  was  the  translator  of  the  German  hymns  ? 
I  have  to  say,  in  addition  to  what  I  have  already 
affirmed,  that  Mr.  Watson  admits  that  John  Wesley 
made  some  of  the  translations,  and  Dr.  Jackson,  that  he 
made  all  of  them.  And  Mr.  Wesley  himself  says,  "  I 
translated  many  of  their  [Moravian]  hymns  for  the  use 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  25 

of  our  own  congregations.  Indeed,  as  I  durst  not  im- 
plicitly follow  any  man,  I  did  not  take  all  that  lay  be- 
fore me,  but  selected  those  which  I  judged  to  be  most 
Scriptural,  and  most  suitable  to  soimd  experience." 
This  declaration,  I  think,  should  end  the  controversy, 
especially  as  the  advocates  of  Charles  Wesley,  with 
Mr.  Watson  at  their  head,  have  no  stronger  evidence  to 
urge  in  his  favor,  than  the  "  internal  evidence"  by  which 
his  translations  distinguished  themselves.'  I  had  pre- 
viously referred  to  Mr.  Wesley's  Plain  Account  of 
Christian  Perfection,  where  he  says  he  wrote  the 
hymn, — 

1  Thou  hidden  love  of  God,  whose  height,'  &c., 

while  he  was  at  Savannah,  in  1*736  ;  and  this  hymn  is 
a  translation  from  the  Gennan  of  Gerhard  Tersteegen. 
So,  you  perceive,  there  is  a  remarkable  coincidence  be- 
tween our  views ;  but  yours  are  far  the  more  ably  and 
elegantly  expressed,  and  while  I  award  you  the  meed 
of  having  settled  the  question  in  England,  I  humbly 
claim  precedence  of  having  done  the  same  thing  in 
America,  which,  I  believe,  is  generally  acknowledged 
by  those  who  take  an  interest  in  the  matter,  in  this 
country." 

It  may  be  furthermore  remarked,  that  the  views  here 
educed  receive  some  confirmation  from  an  observation 
of  Mr.  John  Wesley,  in  the  preface  to  his  "  Collection  of 
Hymns  for  the  Use  of  the  People  called  Methodists." 
He  says,  "  As  but  a  small  part  of  these  hymns  is  of  my 
own  composing,  I  do  not  think  it  inconsistent  with 
modesty  to  declare,  that  I  am  persuaded  no  such  Hymn- 
book  as  this  has  yet  been  published  in  the  English  lan- 
guage."  Here  is  a  plain  declaration,  that  but  a  "small 
part"  of  the  hymns  in  the  Wesleyan  Hymn-book  were 
2 


26  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

composed  by  John  Wesley ;  for  he  tells  us  so  himself. 
Now,  if  it  can  be  ascertained,  to  a  tolerable  certainty, 
what  hymns  were  written  by  Charles  Wesley,  and 
others,  the  inference  then  is  fair,  that  the  balance  com- 
prise the  "  small  part"  which  were  composed  by  John 
Wesley.  There  are  in  the  Wesleyan  Hymn-book,  in- 
cluding the  Supplement,  770  hymns,  623  of  which  are 
the  productions  of  "the  sanctified  talent  of  Charles 
Wesley;"  117  are  attributed  to  other  authors,  leaving 
about  30  hymns  unaccounted  for,  24  of  which  are  trans- 
lations from  the  German.  These  30  we  ascribe  to 
John  Wesley.  Now,  we  think  the  most  squeamish 
stickler  for  grammatical  or  philological  accuracy,  will 
admit  that  30  in  comparison  with  770,  or  even  561 — 
this  being  the  number  of  hymns  exclusive  of  the  Sup- 
plement— niay  with  perfect  fairness  be  considered  only 
"a  small  part:"  hence  we  infer  that  all  the  translations 
from  the  German  were  made  by  John  Wesley. 

Satmtd  tDfsUp,  Sen., 

Rector  of  Epworth,  and  father  of  the  founder  of 
Methodism,  though  the  author  of  but  one  hymn  in  our 
collection,  deserves  a  prominent  place  among  our  list 
of  hymnologists.  His  character  as  an  author  and  poet, 
and  his  relationship  to  John  and  Charles  Wesley,  alike 
justify  the  position  we  have  here  given  him.  His  prin- 
cipal works  are,  "The  Life  of  our  Blessed  Lord  and 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ ;  a  Heroic  Poem,  in  ten  Books  ;" 
"  The  History  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament,  attempted 
in  Verse,  and  adorned  with  three  hundred  and  thirty 
Sculptures;"  "The  Pious  Communicant  rightly  pre- 
pared ;  or  a  Discourse  concerning  the  Blessed  Sacra- 


METIIODIST   HYMNOLOGY.  2*1 

ment;"  and  a  Commentary  on  the  Book  of  Job,  in 
Latin.  Mr.  Wesley  was  also  a  great  controversialist, 
and  wrote  several  tracts  against  the  Dissenters,  which 
afterward  proved  the  cause  of  much  annoyance  and 
trouble  to  him.  Of  his  poems,  that  which  has  given 
him  the  greatest  reputation,  is  entitled,  "Eupolis  his 
Hymn  to  the  Creator."  Dr.  Clarke,  in  his  Wesley 
Family,  speaks  in  high  terms  of  praise  of  this  compo- 
sition, and  has  republished  it  in  that  work  with  very 
copious  and  learned  notes. 

Samuel  Wesley,  Jun.,  wrote  a  poem  upon  his  father, 
in  which  he  alludes  to  his  parent's  poetical  works ;  the 
History  of  the  New  Testament  in  verse  having  been 
severely  censured  by  a  writer  named  Brown : — 

"  Nor  yet  unmention'd  shall  in  silence  lie 
His  slighted  and  derided  poetry ; 
Should  Brown  revile,  or  Swift  my  song  despise, 
Should  other  Garths,  and  other  legions  rise : 
Whate'er  his  strains,  still  glorious  was  his  end, 
Faith  to  assert,  and  virtue  to  defend. 
He  sung  how  God  the  Saviour  deign'd  t'  expire, 
With  Vida's  piety,  though  not  his  fire. 
Deduced  his  Maker's  praise  from  age  to  age, 
Through  the  long  annals  of  the  sacred  page; 
Not  cursed  like  syren  Dryden  to  excel, 
Who  strew'd  with  flow'rets  fair  the  road  to  hell ; 
With  atheist  doctrines  loosest  morals  join'd, 
To  rot  the  body,  and  to  damn  the  mind. 

TV  TV  TT  TV  *?V  TV 

Though  not  inglorious  was  the  poet's  fate, 
Liked  and  rewarded  by  the  good  and  great ; 
For  gracious  smiles  not  pious  Anne  denied, 
And  beauteous  Mary  blcss'd  him  when  she  died." 


28  METHODIST    IITMNOLOGY. 


Samuel  iDjeslqj,  3nn. 

This  excellent  poet  was  the  elder  brother  of  John  and 
Charles  Wesley  ;  both  of  whom,  to  some  extent,  were 
indebted  to  him  for  their  support  while  pursuing  their 
studies  at  Oxford.  Dr.  Clarke,  who  calls  him  an  "  emi- 
nent man,"  writes  of  him  thus  : — "  It  is  said  of  Mr. 
Samuel  Wesley,  by  those  who  knew  him  well,  that  '  he 
possessed  an  open,  benevolent  temper,  which  he  had 
from  nature,  which  he  had  so  cultivated  on  principle, 
and  was  so  intent  upon  it  as  a  duty  to  help  everybody  as 
he  could,  that  the  number  and  continual  success  of  his 
good  offices  were  astonishing  even  to  his  friends,  who 
saw  with  what  pleasure  and  zeal  he  did  them  ;  and  he 
was  an  instance  how  exceedingly  serviceable  in  life  a 
person  of  a  very  inferior  station  may  be,  who  sets  his 
heart  upon  it.  As  his  diligence  on  such  occasions  was 
never  tired  out,  so  he  had  a  singular  address  and  dex- 
terity in  soliciting  them.  His  own  little  income  was 
liberally  made  use  of;  and  as  his  acquaintance  whom 
he  applied  to  were  always  confident  of  his  care  and 
integrity,  he  never  wanted  means  to  carry  on  his 
good  purposes ;  so  that  his  life  was  a  series  of  useful 
charity.' 

"  Mr.  Wesley's  wit  was  keen,  and  his  sense  strong. 
As  a  poet,  he  stands  entitled  to  a  very  distinguished 
niche  in  the  temple  of  Fame ;  and  it  has  long  appeared 
to  me  strange  that  his  poetical  works  have  not  found  a 
place  either  in  Johnson's,  Anderson's,  or  Chalmers'  col- 
lection of  the  British  poets.  To  say  that  those  collect- 
ors did  not  think  them  entitled  to  a  place  there,  would 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  29 

be  a  gross  reflection  on  their  judgment;  as  in  the  last 
and  best  collection,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty-seven  poets,  it  would  be  easy  to  prove  that 
Samuel  Wesley  is  equal  to  most,  and  certainly  superior 
to  one-half,  of  that  number.  But  the  name  !  the  name 
would  have  scared  many  superficial  and  fantastic  read- 
ers, as  they  would  have  been  sadly  afraid  of  meeting  in 
some  corner  or  other  with  Methodism,  which  is  so  inti- 
mately connected  with  the  name  of  Wesley.  With 
multitudes,  a  name  is  the  omen  of  good  or  bad  luck, 
according  to  their  fancies  or  prepossessions. 

"  But  though  he  has  not  been  brought  before  the  public 
in  any  of  the  above  collections,  it  must  not  be  forgotten 
that  Dr.  Johnson  has  given  a  quotation  from  him  in  the 
grammar  prefixed  to  his  dictionary  as  the  best  specimen 
of  that  kind  of  poetry  to  which  he  refers.  The  lines 
are  generally  known ;  but  many  are  ignorant  of  their 
author. 

EPITAPH  ON  AN  INFANT. 

Beneath,  a  sleeping  infant  lies, 

To  earth  whose  ashes  lent, 
More  glorious  shall  hereafter  rise, 

Though  not  more  innocent. 
When  the  archangel's  trump  shall  Mow, 

And  souls  to  bodies  join, 
What  crowds  will  wish  their  lives  below 

Had  been  as  short  as  thine  ! 

"  The  truth  and  beauty  of  these  lines  will  be  felt  as 
well  as  seen;  therefore  every  one  is  a  judge  of  their 
merit.  Mr.  Southey,  too,  in  his  '  Specimens  of  the 
later  English  Poets,'  published  in  180*7,  has  noticed 
him,  and  given  us  specimens  of  his  poetical  productions." 


30  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Besides  those  in  the  Hymn-book,  Mr.  Wesley  is  the 
author  of  the  following  fine  hymns : 

"  From  whence  these  dire  portents  around  ?"  &c. 
"  The  Sun  of  righteousness  appears,"  &c. 
t:  Hail,  God  the  Son,  in  glory  crown'd !"  &c. 
"  Hail,  Holy  Ghost !  Jehovah !  third,"  &c. 
"  Hail,  holy,  holy,  holy  Lord  ! 

Be  endless  praise  to  thee,"  &c. 


Dr.  Isaac  tUatts. 

Next  to  Charles  Wesley,  the  Methodists  are  indebted 
to  Dr.  Watts  for  the  number  of  excellent  hymns  he  has 
contributed  to  their  standard  collection ;  there  being  in 
that  work  no  less  than  sixty-eight  hymns  of  his  com- 
posing, besides  several  others  which  are  his  in  part. 
As  it  would  be  impossible  for  the  writer  adequately  to 
portray  his  character  as  a  sacred  poet,  or  to  describe 
properly  the  peculiar  merits  of  his  hymns,  so  it  would 
be  impertinent  to  attempt  the  task,  especially  as  it  has 
been  done  so  well  by  abler  heads  and  hands.  There- 
fore let  Montgomery,  the  friend  of  Watts  and  of  Wesley, 
though  in  communion  with  neither,  speak  his  praise ; 
and  if  he  should  seem  to  give  the  palm  to  Watts,  let 
us  not  be  offended,  while,  as  the  admirers  and  followers 
of  Wesley,  we  hold  to  a  different  opinion. 

"  Passing  by "  (says  Montgomery,  in  his  Christian 
Psalmist)  "  Mrs.  Rowe,  and  the  mystical  rhymes  of  her 
age,  we  come  to  the  greatest  name  among  hymn-writers  : 
for  we  hesitate  not  to  give  that  praise  to  Dr.  Isaac 
Watts.  *  *  *  In  his  '  Psalms  and  Hymns,'  (for 
they  must  be  classed  together,)  he  has  embraced  a 
compass  and  variety  of  subjects,  which  include  and 


METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY.  31 

illustrate  every  truth  of  revelation ;  throw  light  upon 
every  secret  movement  of  the  human  heart,  whether  of 
sin,  nature,  or  grace ;  and  describe  every  kind  of  trial, 
temptation,  conflict,  doubt,  fear,  and  grief ;  as  well  as 
the  faith,  hope,  charity,  the  love,  joy,  peace,  labor,  and 
patience,  of  the  Christian,  in  all  stages  of  his  course  on 
earth ;  together  with  the  terrors  of  the  Lord,  the  glories 
of  the  Redeemer,  and  the  comforts  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
to  urge,  allure,  and  strengthen  him,  by  the  way.  There 
is  in  the  pages  of  this  evangelist  a  word  in  season  for 
every  one  who  needs  it,  in  whatever  circumstances  he 
may  require  counsel,  consolation,  reproof,  or  instruc- 
tion. We  say  this,  without  reserve,  of  the  materials  of 
his  hymns  :  had  their  execution  always  been  correspond- 
ent with  the  preciousness  of  these,  we  should  have  had 
a  *  Christian  Psahnist '  in  England,  next  (and  that  only 
in  date,  not  in  dignity)  to  the  '  sweet  singer  of  Israel.' 
Nor  is  this  so  bold  a  word  as  it  may  seem.  Dr.  Watts 's 
hymns  are  full  of  '  the  glorious  gospel  of  the  blessed 
God ;'  his  themes,  therefore,  are  as  much  more  illus- 
trious than  those  of  the  son  of  Jesse,  who  only  knew 
the  'power  and  glory'  of  Jehovah  as  he  had  'seen 
them  in  the  sanctuary,'  which  was  but  the  shadow  of 
the  New  Testament  church — as  the  face  of  Moses, 
holding  communion  with  God,  was  brighter  than  the 
veil  which  he  cast  over  it  when  conversing  with  his 
countrymen. 

"  Dr.  Watts  may  almost  be  called  the  inventor  of 
hymns  in  our  language ;  for  he  so  far  departed  from 
all  precedent,  that  few  of  his  compositions  resemble 
those  of  his  forerunners  :  while  he  so  far  established  a 
precedent  to  all  his  successors,  that  none  have  departed 
from  it,  otherwise  than  as  according  to  the  peculiar 


32  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

turn  of  mind  in  the  writer,  and  the  style  of  expressing 
Christian  truths  employed  by  the  denomination  to  which 
he  belonged." 

While  his  learned  biographer,  Milner,  contends  with 
Montgomery  for  the  first  place  among  hymn  writers 
for  Watts,  and  quotes  the  above  extracts  in  support  of 
his  position,  he  is  by  no  means  blind  to  at  least  some 
of  his  favorite's  defects.  "  With  all  my  partiality  for 
Watts,"  says  he,  "  as  a  writer  of  religious  song,  I  am 
not  insensible  to  the  defective  tone  and  expression  of 
some  of  his  hymns,  which  betray,  more  indeed  in 
phraseology  than  in  spirit,  the  neighborhood  of  a  hyper- 
Calvinistic  school.  The  theology  of  his  day  was  of  a 
somewhat  different  mold  to  that  embraced  at  the  pre- 
sent by  the  majority  of  the  dissenting  churches  :  it  had 
sterner  features,  and,  at  the  same  time,  those  which 
were  more  timid;  it  spoke  in  severer  accents  to  the 
sinner,  and  in  a  more  glowing  and  mystic  style  to  the 
saint ;  it  delighted  too  much  in  presenting  to  the  one 
elements  of  gathering  wrath,  without  a  shelter  from  the 
storm,  and  in  pampering  the  other  with  the  gay  and 
ardent  fancies  of  impassioned  eastern  poetry.  The  Cal- 
vinism of  Watts  was  of  the  moderate  kind  at  the  close 
of  his  career,  so  much  so  as  to  subject  him  to  the 
charge  of  Baxterianism ;  yet  still  I  am  by  no  means 
certain  but  that  his  connection  with  Dr.  Chauncey,  a 
divine  of  the  Crispian  stamp,  might  give  a  coloring  to 
his  creed  in  early  life.  It  would  be  an  unprofitable 
task  to  particularize  the  luscious  phrases  which  savor 
of  the  school — phrases  which  might  easily  be  altered, 
and  which  assuredly  ought  to  have  been  long  ago ; 
which,  to  a  mind  like  Watts's,  will  bespeak  only  the 
triumph  of  holy  love,  but  which  are  apt  to  convey  to 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  33 

unhallowed  imaginations  a  licentious  image,  and  thus 
degrade  the  Christian's  fellowship  with  his  Redeemer, 
by  an  association  with  terms  indicative  of  human  fond- 
ness and  familiarity.  The  ardency  of  pious  affection  is, 
indeed,  apt  to  express  itself  in  the  language  of  animal 
passion.  The  heart  in  communion  with  God  will  not 
stay  to  take  the  guage  of  a  fastidious  delicacy  before  it 
gives  utterance  to  its  desires  ;  but  it  by  no  means  fol- 
lows, that  what  is  proper  for  the  closet  is  adapted  for 
the  sanctuary.  There  is  another  fault  which  may  be 
charged  upon  some  of  Watts's  compositions,  of  an 
opposite  character,  but  which  proceeded  from  the  same 
cause  as  the  one  just  noticed.  There  is  too  little  of 
that  sweet  persuasiveness,  that  melting  tenderness,  in 
which  the  gospel  addresses  the  sinner;  while  harsh 
expressions  occur,  breathing  a  spirit  of  vindictiveness, 
which  unquestionably  does  not  harmonize  with  the  cha- 
racter of  that  God  who  delights  in  mercy,  and  which 
borders  upon  downright  impiety  to  offer  up  in  praise 
to  him.  It  would  be  a  boon  to  the  dissenting  congrega- 
tions, if  some  one,  of  kindred  spirit  and  competent  ability, 
(and  such  a  one  doubtless  might  be  found,)  would  give 
his  hymns  the  benefit  of  a  careful  correction  and  revision. 
The  productions  of  Charles  Wesley  have  been  revised  and 
expurgated,  and  re-re  vised  ;  and  the  memory  and  claims 
of  Watts  imperatively  demand  a  similar  service." 

Nearly  every  one  of  Watts's  hymns  in  the  Methodist 
Hymn-book  has  been  subjected  to  just  such  a  "cor- 
rection and  revision,"  as  Mr.  Milner  had  sagacity  enough 
to  see  they  required,  notwithstanding  their  high  degree 
of  excellence ;  and  that,  too,  by  no  less  a  personage 
than  the  same  who  "  revised,  and  expurgated,  and  re- 
revised,"  the  productions  of  Charles  Wesley.     It  may 

9* 


34  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

be  safely  affirmed  that  there  never  was  a  person  who 
possessed  a  nicer  taste  and  discrimination,  in  that  de- 
partment of  sacred  poetry  intended  for  devotional 
purposes,  than  Mr.  John  Wesley ;  and  it  is  admitted 
by  all  who  have  expressed  an  opinion  upon  the  subject, 
that  his  brother's  hymns  have  been  greatly  improved 
by  passing  through  his  hands..  And  Mr.  Milner  him- 
self has  acknowledged  that  several  of  Dr.  Watts's 
compositions  are  also  indebted  to  the  same  source  for 
their  peculiar  beauty  of  diction  and  strength  of  ex- 
pression. It  will  be  quite  in  place  here  to  point  out 
some  of  these  corrections  and  improvements*,  But  it 
may  appear  unreasonable  that  Mr.  Wesley,  after  cau- 
tioning those  who  might  reprint  his  and  his  brother's 
hymns,  against  all  attempts  to  alter  them,  should  him- 
self alter  the  hymns  of  others.  To  a  charge  of  this 
kind,  we  would  reply,  in  the  words  of  Mr.  Burgess,  (to 
whose  interesting  work  it  affords  the  writer  real  plea- 
sure frequently  to  allude,)  that  "  among  all  those,  who 
in  their  collections  have  made  free  with  Wesley's  hymns, 
perhaps  there  has  not  been  one,  with  the  exception  of 
Montgomery,  whose  poetical  taste  and  judgment  could 
be  considered  anything  like  on  a  par  with  those  of  John 
Wesley." 

If  the  original  hymns  be  compared  with  the  hymns 
as  altered  by  Wesley,  it  will  be  found  that  the  altera- 
tions seldom  or  never  affect  the  sentiment,  but  merely 
the  language,  which  is  made  more  chaste,  elegant,  and 
poetical ;    and    the    alterations   must    be    pronounced 
decided  improvements.    The  following  are  specimens : — 
Watts's  original. 
"  Run  up  with  joy  the  shining  way, 
To  embrace  my  dearest  Lord." 


METHODIST    IIYMXOLOGT.  35 

Altered  by  Wesley. 
'•  Bun  up  with  joy  the  shining  -way, 
To  sec  and  praiso  my  Lord." 

Wattfs  original. 
"  Nations,  attend  hefore  his  throne, 

With  solemn  fear,  with  sacred  joy." 

Altered  by  Wesley. 
"  Before  Jehovah's  awful  throne, 

Ye  nations,  bow  with  sacred  joy." 

Wcctts's  original. 
£;  The  God  that  rules  on  high, 

And  thunders  when  he  please, 
That  rides  upon  the  stormy  sky, 
And  manages  the  seas." 

Altered  by  Wesley. 
"  The  God  that  rules  on  high, 
That  all  the  earth  surveys, 
That  rides  upon  the  stormy  sky, 
And  calms  the  roaring  seas." 

Wattes  original. 

"  He  dies,  the  heavenly  Lover  dies  ; 

The  tidings  strike  a  doleful  sound 

On  my  poor  heart-strings  :  deep  he  lies 

In  the  cold  caverns  of  the  ground." 

Altered  by  Wesley. 
"  He  dies,  the  Friend  of  sinners  dies  ! 
Lo  !  Salem's  daughters  weep  around .' 
A  solemn  darkness  veils  the  skies ; 

A  sudden  trembling  shakes  the  ground," 

Watts^s  original. 
"  Look  how  we  grovel  here  below, 
Fond  of  these  trifling  toys  ; 
Our  souls  can  neither  fly  nor  go 
To  reach  eternal  joys." 


36  METHODIST   HYMNOLOOT. 

Altered  by  Wesley. 

"  Look  how  wo  grovel  here  below, 

Fond  of  these  earthly  toys  ; 

Our  souls  how  heavily  they  go, 

To  reach  eternal  joys." 

N  Mr.  Milner,  in  an  extended  review  of  Watts's  poetry, 
in  which  he  endeavors  to  estimate  the  relative  merit  of 
Watts  and  Wesley,  as  poets, — the  two  greatest  hymn- 
ists,  says  he,  "  undoubtedly  that  our  country  can  boast," 
—endeavors,  but  evidently  not  altogether  even  to  his 
own  satisfaction,  to  make  it  appear,  as  above  inti- 
mated, that  Watts  is  the  greater  of  the  two.  One  of 
whose  "principal  excellences"  is  said  to  be  "the  va- 
riety of  his  powers  ;"  but  which  "  excellence,"  of  course, 
would  not  be  so  apparent  were  it  not  brought  into 
favorable  contrast  with  the  "  little  variety  of  manner, 
and  less  variety  of  matter" — principal  defects/ — of  the 
"  far  greater  mass  of  religious  poetry  "  of  Charles  Wes- 
ley. Mr.  Milner  has  undoubtedly  ventured  this  judg- 
ment upon  his  hymns,  in  utter  ignorance  of  the  charac- 
ter of  the  "  far  greater  mass  "  of  Mr.  Wesley's  poetry  ; 
and  he  has  very  probably  drawn  his  opinion  from — 
which  of  themselves  should  have  produced  a  different 
judgment — merely  such  of  his  hymns  as  are  in  general 
use  among  the  Wesleyans.  It  is  true,  he  tells  us  the 
poetical  productions  of  Charles  Wesley  "  are  said  to 
amount  to  forty -eight  distinct  publications,"  but  he  does 
not  inform  us  that  he  has  seen  or  examined  any  of 
them  ;  or  his  regard  for  truth,  we  may  charitably  con- 
clude, would  never  have  suffered  his  partiality  for  his 
favorite  so  to  prejudice  his  mind  as  to  allow  him  to 
pen  the  following  remarks,  which  certainly  have  not 
their  foundation  in  fact. 


METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY.  87 

"  Many,"  says  Milner,  "  of  Charles  Wesley's  pieces 
wear  the  exclusive  aspect  of  the  sectarian  ;  he  casts  his 
mite  into  the  treasury  of  a  party  ;  he  writes  as  the 
1  poet  of  Methodism,'  not  as  the  servant  of  the  univer- 
sal church.  The  paucity  of  his  topics  produces  frequent 
repetition — a  tiresome  amplification  of  the  same  thought 
and  theme  ;  and  though  this  may  be  regarded  as  an  ex- 
cellency or  a  defect,  according  as  the  religious  opinions 
of  his  critic  acree  or  differ  from  him,  there  can  be  no 
question  that  the  amount  of  genius  requisite  for  the 
composition  of  such  hymns  was  far  less  than  that 
which  Watts  brought  and  employed  in  his  task."  We 
again  affirm,  and  do  it  without  the  least  hesitation  or 
reservation,  that  the  above  sentiments,  as  far  as  they 
refer  to  the  "  paucity  of  topics "  exhibited  in  Charles 
Wesley's  poetry,  have  their  origin  in  ignorance — per- 
haps it  ought  to  be  said,  want  of  information — or, 
in  unconquerable  prejudice.  Has  Watts  paraphrased 
nearly  the  whole  book  of  Psalms  ?  so  has  Wesley.  Are 
most  of  Watts's  hymns  founded  upon  portions  of  the 
sacred  Scriptures  ?  Wesley's,  to  use  the  language  of 
Montgomery,  "  make  the  whole  tour  of  Bible  literature." 
Hence,  as  they  both  have  drawn  their  inspiration,  sub- 
jects, and  matter,  from  the  same  sacred  sources,  and 
Wesley  being  the  more  prolific  writer,  it  is  fair  to  con- 
clude, even  without  a  critical  examination  of  their 
works,  that  an  equal,  if  not  a  greater,  "  variety  of 
topics"  should  characterize  Wesley's  hymns.  But 
while  Wesley,  on  the  one  hand,  has  devoted  a  whole 
volume  to  a  single  subject,  as  his  "Hymns  on  the 
Trinity  "  and  the  "  Lord's  Supper,"  which  certainly  does 
not  betray  either  a  want  of  genius,  or  only  a  small 
amount  of  genius  ;  so,  on  the  other  hand,  some  of  his 


38  METHODIST   HTMNOLOGY. 

volumes  scarcely  contain  two  compositions  upon  the 
same  subject,  as  his  " Family  Hymns,"  and  "Hymns 
of  Intercession  for  all  Mankind,"  which  unquestionably 
demonstrates  a  genius  of  the  veiy  highest  powers,  and 
of  almost  universal  application.  The  man,  perhaps,  is 
yet  unborn  who  is  properly  and  fully  to  estimate  and 
portray  the  abilities  of  Charles  Wesley  as  an  English 
poet ;  but  there  need  be  no  fears  that  such  a  person 
never  will  be  born. 

It  is  really  amusing,  though  hardly  edifying,  to  see 
with  what  tenacity  our  author  pursues  the  "  poet  of  a 
party" — as  he  has  been  pleased,  rather  illiberally,  to 
designate  Watts's  Arminian  rival — challenging  and  con- 
testing his  claims  to  all  those  virtues  with  which  he  would 
invest  his  favorite.  Not  only  are  Watts's  excellences 
magnified  when  brought  into  juxtaposition  with  Wes- 
ley's defects,  but  even  an  excuse — satisfactory,  of 
course — for  Watts's  faults  may  be  educed  from  a  com- 
parison of  the  circumstances  under  which  the  poets  re- 
spectively wrote.     Hear  Milner : 

"  The  faulty  versification  and  inelegant  construction 
of  some  of  Watts's  hymns,  which  have  been  pointed  out 
as  their  principal  defects,  would  never  have  occurred 
had  they  been  written  under  the  same  circumstances  as 
those  of  his  Arminian  successor.  The  former  wrote 
principally  in  his  youth,  the  latter  in  the  full  vigor  of 
ripened  manhood;  to  the  former  hymnic  composition 
was  an  occasional  recreation,  to  the  latter,  at  one  period, 
it  was  his  chief  employment.  It  is  well  known  that 
Mr.  C.  Wesley  desisted  from  his  itinerant  ministry,  and 
abandoned  the  fatiguing  journeys  of  his  brother,  for  an 
ultimate  residence  in  London  and  Bristol — the  conse- 
quence of  indolence,  say  some  ;  a  just  appreciation  of 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  39 

his  own  powers,  say  others.  A  considerable  portion  of 
his  time  was  now  devoted  to  poetical  enterprise,  to 
which  he  sedulously  directed  his  talents ;  he  measured 
the  object  before  him,  in  its  height,  and  length,  and 
depth,  and  breadth,  and  carefully  trained  and  disci- 
plined his  spirit  for  his  task  : 

'  His  soul  was  like  a  star,  and  dwelt  apart.' 

"  But  it  was  otherwise  with  Watts :  none  of  those 
who  had  preceded  him  in  this  species  of  writing  had 
attained  any  excellence  so  as  to  stimulate  his  genius  and 
call  forth  his  powers ;  the  hymns  in  use  were  so  miser- 
ably defective,  and  the  task  of  surpassing  them  so  easy, 
that  he  did  not  generally  'gird  up  the  loins  of  Ins 
mind.'  This  is  to  be  lamented  as  the  occasion  of  all  his 
blemishes  in  composition.  There  is,  however,  far  less 
appearance  of  effort  in  his  hymns  than  in  Wesley's ; 
they  are  less  strained  and  artificial,  and  bear  in  a  higher 
degree  the  stamp  of  being  the  spontaneous  effusions  of 
devotional  feeling." 

There  is  another  paragraph  I  must  introduce,  where- 
in Watts's  biographer  has  attempted  to  sketch  the  rela- 
tive characteristics  of  some  of  the  principal  hymn 
writers,  in  which  he  has  evidently  taken  his  cue  from 
Montgomery ;  and  it  must  be  admitted,  that,  next  to  the 
Moravian  bard,  no  author,  without  the  pail  of  Method- 
ism, has  treated  Charles  Wesley  with  more  fairness 
than  Milner. 

"  Many  laborers,"  says  he, "  have  indeed  since  appear- 
ed in  the  field,  some  of  undoubted  talent,  and  all  have 
trod  in  his  [Watts's]  steps  ;  yet  his  sacred  songs  remain, 
as  a  whole,  unsurpassed  and  unequaled,  and  are  far  more 
generally  used  in  the  services  of  the  church  than  those 
of  any  of  his  successors.     Charles  Wesley  approaches 


40  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

the  nearest  to  him,  but  must  yield  the  palm  for  origin- 
ality, catholicity,  and  versatility  of  genius.  Doddridge's 
hymns  are  distinguished  by  their  unaffected  piety  and 
engaging  sweetness,  but  are  often  faulty  in  their  poetry, 
and  disfigured  by  a  formal  rhetoric.  Newton's  compo- 
sitions are  clear  and  evangelical  in  their  sentiments  ;  but 
prosaic,  sometimes  wretched  in  their  construction,  and, 
besides,  unfit  for  congregational  use.  Cowper's  mighty, 
yet  sorely  crossed  and  troubled  spirit,  produced  some 
hymns  in  the  sunshine  of  his  day,  which  delightfully 
embody  the  experience  of  the  Christian  heart;  some 
also  of  high  and  solemn  character,  written  in  '  the  twi- 
light of  departing  reason,'  on  the  verge  of  'blackness 
of  darkness.'  Toplady,  with  all  his  churlishness,  has 
struck  off  tones  from  David's  harp,  not  inferior  in  vigor 
and  musical  intonation  to  any  of  his  compeers.  Bed- 
dome's  humble  and  unpretending  verse,  barren  in  poe- 
try, will  yet  remain,  for  its  instructive  metrical  apho- 
risms, a  lasting  blessing  to  the  families  of  the  righteous. 
Heber's  performances  have  probably  been  admired 
more,  and  deserve  it  less,  than  any  of  the  preceding ; 
for  though  arrayed  in  the  '  purple  and  fine  linen'  of 
glittering  diction,  they  are  poor  in  thought  and  defec- 
tive in  spirituality.  These,  and  many  others  whose 
names  have  perished,  but  whose  contributions  to  the 
treasury  of  devotion  have  been  preserved,  have  follow- 
ed in  the  track  of  the  nonconformist — their  pattern  and 
their  guide." 

The  above  extract  is  not  given  because  of  a  belief  in 
all  its  sentiments,  but  on  account  of  its  appositeness  to 
the  subject  in  hand.  Perhaps  while  full  justice  has 
not  been  awarded  to  Wesley  and  Heber,  an  undue 
amount  of  praise  has  been  bestowed  upon  Toplady ; 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  41 

but,  on  the  whole,  the  criticisms  may  be  deemed  judi- 
cious. In  fairness,  however,  both  to  Charles  Wesley 
and  Watts's  biographer,  as  well  as  to  gratify  the  reader, 
another  remark  of  Mr.  Milner  in  reference  to  the  rela- 
tive excellences  of  Watts  and  Wesley  must  be  noticed. 
"  In  estimating,"  says  he,  "  the  merits  of  these  two  great 
hymnists — the  greatest  unquestionably  that  our  country 
can  boast — I  should  not  hesitate  to  ascribe  to  the  former 
greater  skill  in  design,  to  the  latter  in  execution ;  to  the 
former  more  originality,  to  the  latter  more  polish. 
Many  of  Wesley's  flights  are  bold,  daring,  and  magni- 
ficent. The  spirit  of  the  righteous  man,  resting  secure 
amid  the  conflagration  of  nature's  elements,  and  '  clap- 
ping' its  '  wings  of  fire,'  is  a  vision  of  surpassing  gran- 
deur, though  the  honor  of  the  suggestion  is,  perhaps, 
due  to  Dr.  Young." 

This  certainly  is  as  much  as  could  be  expected  for 
Wesley,  in  a  review  written  expressly  in  support  of  Dr. 
Watts's  claims  to  "  the  highest  place  among  the  hymn- 
ists of  our  land."  This  high  claim,  so  far  as  it  relates 
to  his  "  Divine  Songs  for  Children,"  we  have  no  dispo- 
sition to  question,  but  rather  incline  to  the  opinion  of 
Montgomery,  and  "  give  that  praise  to  Dr.  Isaac  Watts, 
since  it  has  pleased  God  to  confer  upon  him,  though 
one  of  the  least  of  the  poets  of  his  country,  more  glory 
than  upon  the  greatest  either  of  that  or  of  any  other, 
by  making  his  '  Divine  Songs'  a  more  abundant  and 
universal  blessing  than  the  verses  of  any  uninspired 
penman  that  ever  lived." 

Notwithstanding  we  thus  admit  that  Dr.  Watts's  de- 
lightful "  Divine  Songs"  have  had  a  more  general  cir- 
culation, and  have  been  more  useful  to  the  rising  gene- 
rations of  the  last  century  or  more,  yet  we  look  anxious- 


42  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

ly  forward  to  the  day  when  Charles  Wesley's  "  Hymns 
for  Children,"  which  are  not  inferior  to  those  of  Watts, 
and  are  more  than  treble  their  number,  will  be  pub- 
lished in  an  attractive  form,  and  placed  within  the 
reach  of  every  child  and  young  person  in  Christendom. 
See  some  further  remarks  on  these  hymns  on  page  207. 
Dr.  Watts  published  a  volume  entitled  "  A  Guide  to 
Prayer,"  intended  to  assist  the  youthful  Christian  in 
the  performance  of  this  important  part  of  devotion. 
This  work,  and  his  version  of  the  Psalms,  occasioned 
the  following  satirical  lines,  by  Samuel  Wesley,  Jun., 
which  appeared  in  the  second  edition  of  his  Poems, 
1743:— 

"  Form  stints  the  spirit,  Watts  has  said, 
And  therefore  oft  is  wrong ; 
At  best  a  crutch  the  weak  to  aid, 
A  cumbrance  to  the  strong. 

"  Of  human  liturgies  the  load 
Perfection  scorns  to  bear ; 
Th'  apostles  were  but  weak,  when  God 
Prescribed  his  form  of  prayer. 

"  Old  David,  both  in  prayer  and  praise, 
A  form  for  crutches  brings ; 
Bat  Watts  has  dignified  his  lays, 
And  furnish'd  him  with  wings. 

"  E'en  Watts  a  form  for  praise  can  choose, 
For  prayer,  who  throws  it  by ; 
Crutches  to  walk,  he  can  refuse, 
But  uses  them  to  fly." 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  43 


Dr.  JBobiriig*. 

We  are  indebted  to  Montgomery  for  the  subjoined  obser- 
vations on  the  hymns  of  Doddridge  and  Toplady  : — 

"  All  that  can  be  imagined  deficient  in  Addison's 
hymns,  will  be  foimd  to  constitute  the  glory  of  Dod- 
dridge's. They  shine  in  the  beauty  of  holiness ;  these 
offsprings  of  his  mind  are  arrayed  in  '  the  fine  linen, 
pure  and  white,  which  is  the  righteousness  of  saints :' 
and,  like  the  saints,  they  are  lovely  and  acceptable,  not 
for  their  human  merit,  (for  in  poetry  and  eloquence 
they  are  frequently  deficient,)  but  for  that  fervent,  un- 
affected love  to  God,  his  service,  and  his  people,  which 
distinguishes  them.  Blessed  is  the  man  who  can  take 
the  words  of  this  devoted  servant  of  Christ,  and  say, 
from  similar  experience, 

'  0  happy  day,  that  fix'd  my  choice 
On  thee,  my  Saviour  and  my  God,'  &c. 

Or  who,  sitting  down  to  commemorate  the  dying  love 
of  his  Redeemer,  can  exclaim, '  The  King  of  heaven  his 
table  spreads,'  &c. ;  or  sing  in  higher  mood,  '  Lord  of 
the  sabbath,  hear  us  pray,'  &c.  And  how  dwelleth 
the  love  of  God  in  that  heart  which  can  hear  un- 
moved, and  without  praying  to  be  made  a  partaker  of 
the  same  spirit,  that  sweet  and  humble  appeal, '  Do  not 
I  love  thee,  O  my  Lord  ?'  The  fourth  verse  presents 
the  touch-stone  of  Christian  profession,  experience,  and 
practice : — 

'  Hast  thou  a  lamb  in  all  thy  flock 

I  would  disdain  to  feed  ? 
Hast  thou  a  foe,  before  Avhose  face 

I  fear  thy  cause  to  plead  V  " 


44  METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY. 

^Utcjustus  ffoptcttm. 

"  The  hymns  of  the  Rev.  Augustus  Toplady  form  a 
striking  contrast  with  the  mild  and  humane  tone  of  Dod- 
dridge's. There  is  a  peculiarly  ethereal  spirit  in  some 
of  these;  in  which,  whether  mourning  or  rejoicing, 
praying  or  praising,  the  writer  seems  absorbed  in  the 
full  triumph  of  faith,  and,  '  whether  in  the  body  or  out 
of  the  body,  caught  up  into  the  third  heaven,'  and  be- 
holding unutterable  things.  He  evidently  kindled  his 
poetic  torch  at  that  of  his  cotemporary,  Charles  Wes- 
ley ;  and,  though  inferior  in  breadth  and  volume  of 
flame,  yet  the  light  which  it  sheds  is  not  less  vivid  and 
sparkling,  while  it  may  be  said  to  be  more  delicate  to 
the  eye,  and  refreshing  to  the  spirits,  than  that  prodi- 
gality of  radiance  which  the  rival  luminary  cast  alike 
on  everything  it  touched.  'Rock  of  ages,  cleft  for 
me,'  <fec,  is  well  known  and  appreciated.  '  Deathless 
principle,  arise,'  &c,  is  scarcely  suitable  to  be  sung ; 
but  it  may  be  uttered  by  '  the  dying  Christian  to  his 
soul,'  with  a  joy  which  he  alone  can  feel,  and  feel  only 
at  the  height,  in  the  last  moment  of  time,  and  the  first 
of  eternity.  Had  this  poem  appeared  without  name,  it 
might  have  been  confidently  set  down  as  the  produc- 
tion of  Charles  Wesley, — as  one  of  Charles  Wxesley's 
loveliest  progeny  has  been  fathered  upon  Augustus 
Toplady :  '  Christ,  whose  glory  fills  the  skies,'  "  &c. 

Having  thus  given  in  full  Mr.  Montgomery's  highly 
favorable  notice  of  Mr.  Toplady,  the  following  addi- 
tional particulars  will  not,  we  think,  be  deemed  illibe- 
ral nor  irrelevant ;  while  the  interest  which  the  subject 
of  hymnology  has  recently  awakened  in  the  churches, 
together  with  the  character  of  the  facts  adduced,  will 


METHODIST    IIVMNOLOGY.  45 

justify  the  length  to  which  these  remarks  may  be  ex- 
tended. Full  justice  we  conceive  has  been  awarded  to 
Mr.  Toplady,  though  we  may  have  undecked  him  of 
what  his  admirers  have  long  erroneously  considered 
some  of  his  brightest  and  most  valuable  poetical  jewels. 
Besides  the  fine  hymn  which  Mr.  Montgomery  says 
has  been  "fathered  upon  Augustus  Toplady,"  at  least 
two  other  of  "  Charles  Wesley's  loveliest  progeny " 
have  shared  the  same  fate  ;  or  rather — if  the  editor  of 
his  collected  works  be  not  at  fault — Mr.  Toplady,  of 
his  own  free  will  and  accord,  has  adopted  said  "  love- 
liest progeny."  Now  for  the  proof  of  our  assertion. 
The  reader  is  requested  to  compare  the  following  hymn, 
with  verses  4  and  G  of  the  first  part,  and  verses  3,  4, 
and  6,  of  the  second  part,  of  hymn  68  in  the  Method- 
ist Hymn-book : — 

"  What  though  I  cannot  break  my  chain, 
Or  e'er  throw  off  my  load  ; 
The  things  impossible  to  men, 

Are  possible  to  God. 
"  Who,  who  shall  in  thy  presence  stand, 
Or  match  omnipotence ; 
Unfold  the  grasp  of  thy  right  hand, 
And  pluck  the  sinner  thence  1 
"  Faith  to  be  heal'd,  I  fain  would  have, 
O  might  it  now  be  given  ! 
Thou  canst,  thou  canst  the  sinner  save, 
And  make  me  meet  for  heaven. 
"  Bound  down  by  twice  ten  thousand  ties, 
Yet  let  me  hear  thy  call ; 
My  soul  in  confidence  shall  rise, 
Shall  rise,  and  break  through  all. 
';  Thou  canst  o'ercome  this  heart  of  mine, 
Thou  wilt  victorious  prove  ; 
For  everlasting  strength  is  thine, 
And  everlasting  love." 


46  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Also  the  second  and  third  stanzas  of  the  following, 
with  verses  1  and  4  of  hymn  104.  The  first  stanza 
may  also  be  found  in  the  "  Hymns  and  Sacred  Poems  " 
of  J.  and  C.  Wesley,  1739,  where  the  hymn  originally 
appeared. 

"  Father,  I  want  a  thankful  heart, 
I  want  to  taste  how  good  thou  art, 
To  plunge  me  in  thy  mercy's  sea, 
And  comprehend  thy  love  to  me  ; 
The  length,  and  breadth,  and  depth,  and  height, 
Of  love  divinely  infinite. 

"  Jesus,  my  great  High  Priest  above, 
My  Friend  before  the  throne  of  love ! 
If  now  for  me  prevails  thy  prayer, 
If  now  I  find  thee  pleading  there, 
Hear,  and  my  weak  petitions  join, 
Almighty  Advocate,  to  thine. 

"  0  sovereign  Love,  to  thee  I  cry, 
Give  me  thyself,  or  else  I  die ; 
Save  me  from  death,  from  hell  set  free, 
Death,  hell,  are  but  the  want  of  thee  ; 
My  life,  my  crown,  my  heaven,  thou  art ! 
0  may  I  find  thee  in  my  heart !" 

These  hymns  are  not  found  in  Mr.  Toplady's  Hymn- 
book,  which  only  purports  to  be  a  "  collection ;"  al- 
though, according  to  a  remark  in  the  preface,  it  con- 
tains "  a  very  few  hymns  of  his  own  composing ;"  but 
they  do  appear  in  his  collected  works,  immediately  fol- 
lowing a  volume  of  his  poetry,  mostly  hymns,  entitled 
"  Poems  on  Sacred  Subjects,"  and  probably  were  in- 
cluded in  that  work,  which  the  author  published  in 
Dublin,  in  the  year  1759,  when  he  was  but  nineteen 
years  of  age.  And  it  is  not  at  all  surprising  that  Ins 
biographer  should  say  of  these  poems,  "  They  are  by 
no  means  deficient  in  spirit  and  force;  some  of  the 


METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY.  47 

verses  are  truly  poetical,  and  many  of  the  thoughts  are 
new."  It  is  probable  the  volume,  although  it  exhibited 
"  indubitable  marks  of  genius,"  did  not  pass  to  a  second 
edition  during  the  lifetime  of  the  author,  or  his  avowed 
hatred  of  Arminian  doctrines,  if  not  his  maturer  judg- 
ment, would  have  induced  him  to  omit  the  hymns  of 
Mr.  Wesley,  which,  at  the  time  of  their  republication 
in  Ireland,  had  been  about  twenty  years  in  circulation 
among  the  Methodists  in  England.  Nor  would  the 
"  sins  "  of  Mr.  Toplady's  "  youth  "  be  noticed  in  this 
place,  were  it  not  for  the  circumstance  that  they  stand 
recorded  in  a  "  verbatim  "  edition  of  his  works  pub- 
lished in  London  as  late  as  the  year  1837  ;  the  editor 
of  winch  is  quoted  above,  and  who,  we  must  of  course 
suppose,  was  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  he  was  perpetu- 
ating proof  of  the  plagiarism  of  his  admired  author. 
Let,  however,  the  following,  in  palliation  of  the  "  small 
inaccuracies  of  these  juvenile  compositions,"  still  be  his 
apology :  "  The  youth,"  says  his  biographer,  "  and  in- 
experience of  the  writer  must  be  looked  upon  as  an 
extenuation,  so  as  to  preclude  every  idea  of  criticism  /" 

It  would  not  be  at  all  proper  to  close  our  remarks 
on  Mr.  Toplady  before  taking  some  further  notice  of 
the  hymn,  commencing,  "  Rock  of  ages,  cleft  for  me," 
which  we  have — reluctantly  we  confess — consented  to 
ascribe  to  him;  not,  however,  without  being  per- 
mitted to  make  the  following  qualifying  statement. 
By  many  it  is  still  thought  there  is  some  uncertainty  in 
reference  to  the  authorship  of  this  hymn,  although  it  is 
generally  ascribed  to  Toplady  ;  and  it  certainly  does 
appear  both  in  his  Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns, 
and  his  volume  of  collected  works.  But  as  the  latter 
work  contains  some  of  Mr.  C.  Wesley's  hymns,  as  we 


48  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

have  above  shown,  the  fact  of  the  hymn  in  question 
being  found  there,  is  not  deemed  sufficient  evidence  to 
verify  its  authorship.  Besides,  Mr.  Watson,  in  an 
article  in  the  Wesleyan  Methodist  Magazine  for  1832, 
says  he  "  must  reclaim  the  hymn  for  Charles  Wesley, 
who  is  its  rightful  author."  This,  we  admit,  is  all  the 
direct  evidence  possessed,  that  we  are  aware  of,  in  favor 
of  Wesley's  claim ;  but  Mr.  Watson  is  good  authority 
upon  any  subject  when  he  speaks  positively,  which  he 
appears  to  do  in  this  instance,  and  his  opinion  should 
stand  against  anything  short  of  demonstration.  The 
hymn  in  Toplady's  volume  has  four  verses,  while  in 
the  Methodist  Hymn-book  it  has  but  three.  This  dif- 
ference has  been  accounted  for  on  the  following  suppo- 
sition: Toplady  has  taken  Wesley's  hymn,  and  by 
transposing  and  altering  the  lines,  and  interpolating 
some  of  his  own,  he  has  "manufactured"  the  hymn 
known  as  his.  That  he  has  done  this  in  several 
other  instances  has  been  proved.  We  will  now  annex 
the  hymn  as  written,  it  is  alledged,  by  Mr.  Toplady, 
indicating  by  italics  the  alterations  and  omitted  lines 
in  the  Hymn-book : — 

"  Rock  of  ages,  cleft  for  me, 
Let  me  hide  myself  in  thee  ! 
Let  the  water  and  the  blood 
From  thy  riven  side  which  flow'd, 
Be  of  sin  the  double  cure ; 
Cleanse  me  from  its  guilt  and  power ! 

"  Not  the  labors  of  my  hands 
Can  fulfill  thy  law's  commands: 
Could  my  zeal  no  respite  know, 
Could  my  tears  for  ever  flow, 
All  for  sin  could  not  atone ; 
Thou  must  save,  and  thou  alone. 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  49 

"  Nothing  in  my  hand  I  bring, 
Simply  to  thy  cross  I  cling ; 
Nd  fad,  come  to  thee  for  dress; 
Helpless,  look  to  thee  for  grace  ; 
Foul,  I  to  the  fountain  fly ; 
Wash  me,  Saviour,  or  I  die  ! 

"  While  I  draw  this  fleeting  breath, 
When  my  eye-strings  break  in  death, 
When  I  soar  to  worlds  unknown, 
See  tfiee  on  thy  judgment-thvonc — 
Rock  of  ages,  cleft  for  me, 
Let  me  hide  myself  in  thee !" 

Having  given  the  opinion  of  Mr.  Watson,  we  will  do 
Mr.  Toplady  the  justice  to  let  the  reader  see  what  can 
be  said  in  support  of  his  claims.  There  is  before  us  a 
manuscript  letter  from  the  learned  author  of  "Wes- 
leyan  Hymnology,"  in  which  Mr.  Burgess  says :  "As  to 
the  hymn  ascribed  by  me  to  Toplady,  but  by  Mr.  Wat- 
son to  Charles  Wesley,  I  know  what  Mr.  Watson  says 
in  the  Magazine  for  1832,  page  102 ;  but  I  am  decid- 
edly of  opinion  that  in  that  case  he  is  wrong.  I  have 
seen  the  hymn,  'Rock  of  ages,'  in  Toplady's  collection, 
and  I  think  the  four  verses  appearing  there  were  the 
original,  as  composed  by  Toplady.  The  first  verse,  I 
believe,  ended  thus  : — 

1  Be  of  sin  the  double  cure : 
Save  me  from  its  guilt  and  power ;' 

and  among  the  lines,  in  a  following  verse,  we  have, 

'  Naked,  come  to  thee  for  dress.' 

This,  I  think,  savors  of  Toplady  much  more  than  of 
Wesley.  What  proof  has  Mr.  Watson  that  the  hymn 
was  written  by  Charles  Wesley  ?  Is  it  to  be  found  in 
any  of  the  publications  of  the  two  brothers  ?  and  if  it 
be,  is  it  found  in  any  professing  to  contain  none  but 
3 


50  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

their  own  productions?  That  hymn  stands  in  our 
Hymn-book,  with  a  slight  exception  in  one  line,  [five 
lines,]  exactly  as  in  Montgomery's  Christian  Psalmist ; 
and  I  think  it  was  curtailed  and  amended  in  its  present 
form  either  by  Montgomery,  or  by  some  modern  col- 
lector of  hymns,  since  Mr.  Wesley's  days." 

To  differ  in  opinion  with  one  who  has  examined  this 
question  with  as  much  attention  and  ability  as  has  the 
author  of  Wesleyan  Hymnology,  would  be  presump- 
tion; but  the  writer  has  ground  to  know  that  Mr. 
Burgess,  when  he  penned  the  above,  had  never  seen  Mr. 
Toplady's  volume  of  collected  works,  and  was  not  aware 
that  that  work  contained  several  of  C.  Wesley's  hymns, 
which,  although  considerably  altered,  can  be  easily  re- 
cognized. Still,  as  before  intimated,  with  the  present 
light,  the  authorship  of  this  hymn  is,  by  many  persons, 
considered  as  involved  in  uncertainty. 

Perhaps  no  name  connected  with  English  literature  is 
better  known  than  that  which  heads  this  article.  Dr. 
Johnson  assigns  to  him  the  highest  place  among  prose 
writers,  when  he  says,  "  Whoever  wishes  to  attain  an 
English  style,  familiar,  but  not  coarse ;  and  elegant,  but 
not  ostentatious  ;  must  give  his  days  and  nights  to  the 
volumes  of  Addison."  None  will  dispute  this  high 
praise ;  while  all  must  regret  that  his  treatise  on  the 
"  Christian  Religion  "  was  but  half  finished  at  his  death, 
a  work  dearer  to  the  pious  heart  than  even  his  papers 
in  the  Spectator.  Nor  can  the  Christian  contemplate, 
without  a  sigh,  the  fact  mentioned  by  his  friend  Tickell, 
although  it  is  strangely  doubted  by  Miss  Aitkin,  that 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  51 

Addison  "  had  long  determined  to  dedicate  his  poetry 
also,  for  the  future,  wholly  to  religious  subjects."  Great 
as  is  his  fame,  and  useful  as  are  his  works,  both  would 
have  been  much  more  so,  had  he  early  in  life  acted 
upon  the  principles  which  he  adopted  near  the  close  of 
it,  in  reference  to  his  literary  labors.  That  so  small  a 
part  of  his  writings  have  a  strictly  religious  tendency, 
while  so  large  a  portion  is  devoted  to  the  stage,  is  to 
be  deplored.  Had  Addison  lived  to  carry  out  his  de- 
sign in  reference  to  his  poetry,  or  had  he  pursued  such 
a  course  from  the  beginning  of  his  literary  career,  there 
can  be  little  doubt  that  the  Christian  church  would 
have  been  greatly  benefited  in  the  department  of 
psalmody  ;  and  instead  of  being  the  almost  unknown 
author  of  five  hymns,  he  might  have  written  a  volume, 
and  thus  associated  his  name  in  undying  companionship 
with  those  of  Watts  and  Wesley. 

It  is  surprising  that  both  Tickell  and  Dr.  Johnson,  in 
their  sketches  of  Addison's  life  and  writings,  have  made 
no  allusion  to  his  hymns ;  and  even  his  latest  biogra- 
pher, the  accomplished  Miss  Aitkin,  has  taken  but  a 
passing  notice  of  them,  while  their  high  character  and 
importance,  among  all  religious  denominations,  to  say 
nothing  of  their  literary  merits,  would  seem  to  de- 
mand at  her  hand  particular  attention.  She,  however, 
dispatches  this  part  of  her  task  in  the  following  sum- 
mary manner :  "  They  [Addison's  Saturday  papers  in 
the  Spectator]  are  also  adorned  by  several  hymns  and 
sacred  odes,  which  are  among  our  best  and  most  popu- 
lar productions,  in  a  kind  which  is  shown  to  be  a  far 
more  difficult  one  than  might  have  been  supposed,  by 
the  frequent  failures  of  writers  of  undoubted  merit  in 
other  kinds  of  poetical  composition.'7 


52  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Montgomery,  Holland,  and  others,  attribute  to  Addi- 
son only  four  hymns,  but  he  undoubtedly  wrote  Jive, 
all  of  which  appeared  originally  in  the  following  num- 
bers of  the  Spectator,  441,  453,  465,  489,  513.  They 
commence  as  follow : — 

"The  Lord  my  pasture  shall  prepare." 
"  When  all  thy  mercies,  0  my  God." 
"  The  spacious  firmament  on  high." 
"  How  are  thy  servants  bless'd,  0  Lord." 
"  When  rising  from  the  bed  of  death." 

Four  of  these  hymns  are  found  in  the  Methodist 
Hymn-book,  but  some  of  the  verses  are  considerably 
altered  from  the  original. 

Although  Addison's  hymns  have  been  universally 
admired  on  account  of  their  elegant  simplicity  of  style, 
objection  has  been  made  to  them  on  the  ground  that, 
in  sentiment,  they 'do  not  sufficiently  express  the  distin- 
guishing features  of  the  New  Testament  dispensation  ; 
namely,  the  gift  of  the  Saviour,  and  the  redemption  of 
the  world  through  him.  Burgess  says  of  two  of 
them, — 

"  The  spacious  firmament  on  high,"  &c., 
and 

"  How  are  thy  servants  bless'd,  0  Lord,"  &c. : 

"  If  the  authorship  were  unknown,  one  would  hardly 
suspect  that  they  were  written  by  a  Christian."  Mont- 
gomery says:  "The  four  [five]  hymns  attributed  to 
Addison  are  very  pleasing.  It  is  only  to  be  regretted 
that  they  are  not  more  in  number,  and  that  the  God 
of  grace,  as  well  as  the  God  of  providence,  is  not  more 
distinctly  recognized  in  them."  Holland,  after  alluding 
to  the  declaration  of  one  of  Addison's  biographers,  that 
he  intended  to  render  the  whole  book  of  Psalms  into 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  53 

metre,  remarks :  "  The  interfusion  of  evangelical  senti- 
ment and  feeling,  which  has  made  the  psalmody  of 
Watts  so  precious  in  every  Christian  community,  would 
not,  so  far  as  we  may  judge  from  the  existing  speci- 
mens, have  characterized  the  compositions  of  Addison." 
That  these  objections  do  not  apply  to  all  his  hymns, 
will  be  perfectly  apparent  by  a  reference  to  hymn  75 
of  the  Methodist  collection : — 

"  When  rising  from  the  bed  of  death,"  &c, 

which  is  written  throughout  in  a  truly  evangelical  strain, 
and  pervaded  by  a  deeply  devotional  spirit. 

This  being  the  last  hymn  composed  by  Addison,  it  is 
but  fair  to  conclude,  in  opposition  to  the  opinion  above 
quoted,  that  had  he  lived  to  accomplish  his  design  in 
reference  to  the  book  of  Psalms,  it  would  have  been 
characterized  by  an  "  interfusion  of  evangelical  senti- 
ment and  feeling."  Witness  the  last  two  stanzas  of  the 
hymn  just  alluded  to : — 

"  Then  see  the  sorrow  of  my  heart, 
Ere  yet  it  be  too  late ; 
And  hear  my  Saviour's  dying  groans, 
To  give  those  sorrows  Aveight. 

"  For  never  shall  my  soul  despair 
Her  pardon  to  procure, 
Who  knows  thine  only  Son  has  died 
To  make  her  pardon  sure." 

In  order  fully  to  discover  and  appreciate  the  peculiar 
beauties  of  Addison's  hymns,  they  should  be  read  in 
connection  with  the  essays  as  they  stand  in  the  Spec- 
tator. 

The  author  of  "  Wesley  an  Hymnology  "  objects  to 
some  of  Addison's  hymns,  because  they  do  not  rhyme 


54  METHODIST    HYMKOLUY. 

in  the  first  and  third  lines.  Three  are  thus  deficient, 
all  of  which  are  of  the  "common  metre."  Mr.  Bur- 
gess, evidently  with  special  allusion  to  Addison,  says  : 
"Though  some  eminent  writers  of  a  former  day  pro- 
duced hymns  on  this  plan,  and  hymns  of  some  excel- 
lence, their  practice  is  not  to  be  commended ;  and  the 
partial  absence  of  rhyme  in  a  hymn  is  in  most  cases  an 
indication  either  of  inferior  talent,  or  of  slovenly  and 
careless  composition.  When  the  supplement  to  the 
Wesleyan  Hymn-book  was  under  consideration,  it  was 
strongly  recommended  by  some,  and  among  others,  the 
writer  of  these  remarks,  that  no  hymn  should  be  admit- 
ted in  which  the  rhyming  of  the  first  and  third  lines 
was  neglected.  But  it  was  observed,  in  reply  to  this 
recommendation,  that  some  hymns  of  that  description 
had  been  inserted  by  Mr.  Wesley  in  the  Morning  Hymn- 
book,  prepared  and  published  by  him  for  the  London 
congregations  ;  and  on  this  ground  it  was  finally  re- 
solved to  admit  a  few."  One  of  these  is  by  Addison : 
it  is  entitled,  "  The  Traveler's  Hymn,"  and  commences 
thus  : — 

"  How  are  thy  servants  bless'd,  0  Lord !" 

The  same  writer  says  of  this  hymn,  with  others,  that 
were  it  expunged  from  the  Wesleyan  Hymn-book,  its 
loss  could  not  be  justly  regretted,  and  that  its  place 
might  easily  be  supplied  by  another,  fully  equal  in  sen- 
timent, and  superior  in  poetical  merit.  This  is  from 
high  authority,  but  its  correctness  is  doubtful ;  the 
whole  Christian,  if  not  literary,  world,  seems  to  be  of  a 
different  opinion.  It  must  be  admitted,  however,  that 
the  deficiency  in  rhyme  is  a  blemish;  but  there  are 
"  spots  in  the  sun." 

The  above   "divine  ode,"  which   was  written   by 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  55 

Addison  in  the  first  person  singular,  was  "made,"  says 
he,  "  by  a  gentleman  upon  the  conclusion  of  his  travels." 
In  the  original  it  has  ten  stanzas,  the  3d,  4th,  5th,  and 
6  th  of  which,  are  usually  omitted  from  collections  of 
hymns.     They  are  here  annexed : — 

"  Thy  mercy  sweeten'd  every  soil, 
Blade  every  region  please : 
The  hoary  Alpine  hills  it  warm'd, 
And  smooth'd  the  Tyrrhene  seas. 

"  Think,  0  my  soul,  devoutly  think, 
How  with  affrighted  eyes 
Thou  saw1st  the  wide-extended  deep 
In  all  its  horrors  rise  ! 

"  Confusion  dwelt  in  every  face, 
And  fear  in  every  heart ; 
When  waves  on  waves,  and  gulfs  on  gulfs, 
O'ercame  the  pilot's  art. 

"  Yet  then  from  all  my  griefs,  0  Lord, 
Thy  mercy  set  me  free, 
Wliile,  in  the  confidence  of  prayer. 
My  soul  took  hold  on  thee." 

This  last  stanza  expresses  the  language  only  of  the 
experimental  Christian. 

It  ought,  perhaps,  to  be  mentioned  in  this  connec- 
tion, that  two  of  Addison's  hymns,  those  founded  upon 
the  19th  and  23d  Psalms,  and  which  commence  thus, — 

"  The  spacious  firmament  on  high," 

and 

"  When  all  thy  meixies,  0  my  God," 

have  been  claimed  for  Andrew  Marvell,  in  an  edition 
of  that  writer's  works,  published  in  111 6  by  Captain 
Thompson,  of  Hull.  The  notion  of  Marvell,  who  died 
in  1678,  having  been  for  nearly  a  century  defrauded  of 


56  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

the  credit  of  the  authorship  of  the  pieces  in  question, 
originated  in  the  mere  fact  of  their  being  found  in  a 
manuscript  book  of  poems,  some  written,  it  is  asserted, 
with  Marvell's  own  hand,  (?)  and  the  rest  copied  by  his 
order."  This  work,  it  seems,  contained,  besides  those 
by  Addison,  poems  by  several  other  authors,  all  of 
which  the  editor,  with  characteristic  modesty  and  ho- 
nesty, unhesitatingly  gives  to  Marvell ;  among  them  are 
Mallet's  celebrated  elegiac  ballad  of  "William  and 
Margaret,"  and  Dr.  Watts's  paraphrase  of  the  114th 
Psalm,  commencing, — 

"  When  Israel,  freed  from  Pharaoh's  hand,"  &c. 

But,  as  Nichols,  in  his  "  Literaiy  Anecdotes  of  the  Eigh- 
teenth Century,"  says,  "  perhaps  a  more  ridiculous  and 
ill-founded  charge  was  never  made  than  that  which 
Captain  Thompson  has  ventured  to  exhibit  against 
Addison  and  Mallet ;"  and,  it  must  be  added,  Watts. 
And  yet  some,  who  ought  to  have  known  better,  have 
repeated  the  ridiculous  charge,  among  whom  may  be 
mentioned  Dr.  Johnson,  as  related  by  Boswell,  and 
John  Taylor,  author  of  "Monsieur  Tonson,"  whose 
"  Life  and  Times  "  were  republished  some  years  ago  in 
this  country.  The  authorship  of  the  hymns,  however, 
can  no  longer  be  deemed  doubtful,  and  they  must  here- 
after, in  all  confidence,  be  ascribed  to  their  rightful 
author,  Addison. 


Joljtt  JfoiDtcm. 

The  personal  history  of  Mr.  Newton,  as  narrated  by 
himself,  is  one  of  the  most  intensety  though  mournfully 
interesting  autobiographies  to  be  found  in  any  language. 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGT.  57 

He  was  the  son  of  respectable  parents,  and  received  the 
rudiments  of  a  classical  education.  His  father  was  a 
mariner,  and  desired  to  see  him  honorably  engaged  in 
the  same  profession.  "After  a  series  of  strange  ad- 
ventures by  sea  and  land,  during  which  he  had  escaped 
various  perils,  but  fallen  into  many  snares,  and  lost  all 
sense  of  religion  and  decorum,  he  was  impressed,"  and 
carried  on  board  of  an  English  vessel  of  war,  about  to 
sail  for  the  East  Indies.  "  Here,  though  promoted  by 
his  father's  interest  to  the  rank  of  midshipman,  from 
the  outset  he  exposed  himself  to  the  displeasure  of  the 
commander  by  his  irregular  conduct;  and  soon  after- 
ward,  in  a  fit  of  folly,  deserted  from  the  service,  at  the 
very  time  when  he  was  appointed  to  watch  over  a 
boat's  company,  and  prevent  any  of  them  from  desert- 
ing. Being  retaken,  and  brought  in  chains  to  the  ves- 
sel, he  was  publicly  flogged,  and  expelled  from  the 
quarter-deck.  When  the  ship  reached  Madeira,  he  was 
exchanged  with  the  captain  of  a  merchantman  for  one 
more  likely  to  serve  his  majesty."  From  Madeira  he 
was  brought  to  a  small  island,  covered  with  palm-trees, 
laying  off  the  Avestern  coast  of  Africa,  visited  by  none 
but  slave-ships.  Here  he  quitted  the  vessel,  and  en- 
tered into  the  service  of  an  English  slave-dealer.  This 
Avas  in  the  year  1746.  His  degradation  and  sufferings 
while  engaged  in  this  horrible  traffic  were  equally  great ; 
the  latter  arising  principally  from  the  merciless  treat- 
ment of  the  negro  mistress  of  his  master,  who,  insti- 
gated by  her  unnatural  antipathy,  proved  as  cruel  as  his 
mistress. 

NeAvton's  description  of  his  sufferings  Avhile  in  this 
situation  is  exceedingly  touching.     "  I  had  sometimes," 
says  he,  "  not  a  little  difficulty  to  procure  a  draught  of 
3* 


58  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

cold  water  when  burning  with  a  fever.  My  bed  was  a 
mat  spread  upon  a  board,  and  a  log  of  wood  my  pillow. 
When  my  fever  left  me,  my  appetite  returned  ;  I  would 
gladly  have  eaten,  but  there  was  no  one  gave  unto  me. 
...  I  have  sometimes  been  relieved  by  strangers,  nay, 
even  by  the  slaves  in  the  chain,  who  secretly  brought  me 
victuals  (for  they  durst  not  be  seen  to  do  it)  from  their 
own  slender  pittance"  He  also  suffered  during  the  in- 
clemency of  the  rainy  seasons  from  the  want  of  clothes ; 
his  whole  suit  being  a  shirt,  a  pair  of  trowsers,  a  cotton 
handkerchief  instead  of  a  cap,  and  a  cotton  cloth  about 
two  yards  long  to  supply  the  want  of  upper  garments  ; 
and  thus  accoutred,  he  was  sometimes  exposed  for 
twenty,  thirty,  or  forty  hours  together,  in  incessant  rain, 
accompanied  with  strong  gales  of  wind,  without  the 
least  shelter.  "  I  feel,"  says  he,  when  writing  of  these 
scenes  and  sufferings  many  years  afterward,  "to  this 
day  some  faint  returns  of  the  violent  pains  I  then  con- 
tracted." 

One  other  circumstance  must  be  given  from  his  re- 
volting narrative.  Writing  to  a  friend  in  after  life,  he 
says,  "  Had  you  seen  me  then  go  pensive  and  solitary,  in 
the  dead  of  night,  to  wash  my  one  shirt  upon  the  rocks, 
and  afterward  put  it  on  wet,  that  it  might  dry  upon  my 
back  while  I  slept — had  you  seen  me  so  poor  a  figure 
that,  when  a  boat's  crew  came  to  the  island,  shame 
often  constrained  me  to  hide  myself  in  the  woods,  from 
the  sight  of  strangers — especially  had  you  known  that 
my  conduct,  principles,  and  heart,  were  still  darker 
than  my  outward  condition,"  &c.  And  amid  all  this 
distress,  God  was  not  in  all  his  thoughts,  though  often 
upon  his  tongue  in  curses,  and  invoked  in  "  the  swear- 
er's prayer."     Yet  God  in  mercy  refused  to  answer  it, 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  59 

and  did  not  "damn  his  soul"  in  the  eternal  torments 
of  hell. 

This  then  is  the  same  John  Newton,  who  afterward 
became  the  eminent  minister  and  author,  so  well  known 
for  his  numerous  "  Letters"  on  religious  subjects,  and 
the  "  Olney  Hymns,"  which  he  wrote  in  connection  with 
Cowper,  whose  contributions,  however,  to  that  work 
number  only  about  sixty.  The  rest  are  all  by  Newton. 
In  reference  to  whom,  Montgomery  remarks,  "  Verily 
and  literally  to  his  experience  might  be  applied  the 
words  of  his  friend,  Cowper, — 

'  God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way 

His  wonders  to  perform  : 

He  plants  his  footsteps  in  the  sea, 

And  rides  upon  the  storm.''  " 

The  following  observations  are  by  the  same  eminent 
living  author :  "  On  the  whole,  though  it  must  be  ac- 
knowledged that  Newton  was  a  poet  of  very  humble 
order,  yet  he  has  produced,  in  this  collection,  proofs  of 
great  versatility  in  exercising  the  one  talent  of  this  kind 
intrusted  to  him.  He  has  also  turned  it  to  the  best 
account,  by  rendering  it  wholly  subservient  to  the  best 
purposes  in  the  service  of  God  and  man.  With  this 
sanction,  all  his  deficiencies  as  a  technical  versifier  will 
be  forgiven  and  forgotten  by  those  who  have  the  reli- 
gious feeling  which  can  appreciate  the  far  higher  ex- 
cellences of  the  plain,  practical,  and  often  lively,  fer- 
vent, and  sincere  effusions,  of  a  heart  full  to  overflowing 
of  the  love  of  God,  and  laboring  with  indefatigable  zeal 
to  promote  the  kingdom  of  Christ  upon  earth." 


60  METHODIST    HYMXOLOGT. 

ftltlliam  (lotopn*. 

The  following  observations  on  Cowper  and  his  hymns 
arc  taken  from  his  Life  by  Thomas  Taylor. 

"  It  appears  not  improbable,"  says  his  biographer, 
"  that  his  friend,  Mr.  Newton,  might  have  witnessed,  in 
the  morbid  tendency  of  his  mind  to  melancholy,  of 
which  he  then  discovered  symptoms,  some  traces  of  the 
deep  and  extensive  wound  which  his  mind  had  received 
by  this  event,  though  his  efforts  to  conceal  it  were  in- 
cessant. Hence  he  wisely  engaged  him  in  a  literary 
undertaking,  congenial  to  his  taste,  suited  to  his  admira- 
ble talents,  and,  perhaps,  more  adapted  to  alleviate  his 
distress  than  any  other  that  could  have  been  selected. 
Mr.  Newton  had  felt  the  want  of  a  volume  of  evangeli- 
cal hymns,  on  experimental  subjects,  suited  for  public 
and  private  worship  ;  he  mentioned  the  subject  to  Cow- 
per, and  pressed  him  to  undertake  it,  and  the  result 
was,  a  friendly  compact  to  supply  the  volume  between 
them,  with  an  understanding  that  Cowper  was  to  be 
the  principal  composer.  He  entered  upon  this  work 
with  great  pleasure ;  and  though  he  does  not  appear, 
previous  to  this,  to  have  employed  his  poetical  talents 
for  a  considerable  time,  yet  the  admirable  hymns  he 
composed,  show  with  what  ease  he  could  write  upon 
the  doctrinal,  experimental,  or  practical  parts  of  Chris- 
tianity. One  of  our  best  living  poets,  whose  writings 
more  frequently  remind  us  of  Cowper's  than  any  we 
have  ever  read,  in  an  essay  on  the  poet's  productions, 
remarks,  '  Of  these  hymns,  it  must  suffice  to  say,  that, 
like  all  his  best  compositions,  they  are  principally  com- 
munings with  his  own  heart,  or  avowals  of  personal 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  61 

Christian  experience.  As  such  they  are  frequently- 
applicable  to  every  believer's  feelings,  and  touch,  un- 
expectedly, the  most  secret  springs  of  joy  and  sorrow — 
faith,  fear,  hope,  love,  trial,  despondency,  and  triumph. 
Some  allude  to  infirmities  the  most  difficult  to  be  de- 
scribed, but  often  the  source  of  excruciating  anguish  to 
the  tender  conscience.  The  hymn,  '  As  birds  their  in- 
fant brood  protect,'  is  written  with  the  confidence  of 
inspiration,  and  the  authority  of  a  prophet.  The  hymn, 
'  Thy  mansion  is  the  Christian's  heart,'  is  a  perfect  alle- 
gory in  miniature  ;  without  a  failing  point,  or  confusion 
of  metaphor,  from  beginning  to  end.  Hymn,  '  I  was  a 
groveling  creature  once,'  presents  a  transformation, 
which,  if  found  in  Ovid,  might  have  been  extolled  as 
the  happiest  of  his  fictions.  Hymn,  '  Gracious  Lord, 
our  children  see  !'  closes  with  one  of  the  hardiest  figures 
to  be  met  with  out  of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures.  None 
but  a  poet  of  the  highest  order  could  have  Avrittcn  it ; 
verses  cannot  go  beyond  it,  and  painting  cannot  approach 
it.  Hymn,  '  My  song  shall  bless  the  Lord  of  all,'  is  in 
a  strain  of  noble  simplicity,  expressive  of  confidence  the 
most  remote  from  presumption,  and  such  as  a  heart  at 
peace  with  God  alone  could  employ  and  utter.  Who 
can  read  the  hymn,  '  The  Saviour,  what  a  noble  flame,' 
without  feeling  as  if  he  could,  at  that  moment,  forsake 
all,  take  up  his  cross,  and  follow  his  Saviour  ?  The 
hymn,  '  God  of  my  life,  to  thee  I  call,'  is  a  model  of 
tender  pleading,  of  believing,  persevering  prayer,  in 
trouble  ;  and  the  following  one  is  a  brief  parody  of 
Jjunyan's  finest  passage,  The  Valley  of  the  Shadoiu  of 
J)(<ith,  and  is  admirable  of  its  kind.  The  reader  might 
almost  imagine  himself  Christian  on  his  pilgrimage,  the 
triumph  and  the  trance  are  brought  so  home  to  his 


62  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGT. 

bosom.  Hymn,  *  God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way, '  is 
a  lyric  of  high  tone  and  character,  and  rendered  awfully 
interesting  by  the  circumstances  under  which  it  was 
written — in  the  twilight  of  departing  reason."*  The 
references  to  Cowper's  hymns  in  the  original  of  this 
extract  are  to  the  respective  books  and  numbers  of  the 
"  Olney  Hymns ;"  in  place  of  which  the  writer  has 
thought  proper  to  substitute  the  first  line  of  each 
hymn. 

In  his  introductory  essay  to  the  "  Olney  Hymns,"  Mr. 
Montgomery  has  the  following  additional  remarks  on 
the  character  of  Cowper's  poetry,  which  cannot  be 
otherwise  than  acceptable  to  the  reader : — "  The  first 
fruits  of  his  muse,  after  he  had  been  baptized  with  the 
Holy  Ghost  and  with  fire,  will  ever  be  precious  (inde- 
pendent of  their  other  merits)  as  the  transcripts  of  his 
happiest  feelings,  the  memorials  of  his  walk  with  God, 
and  his  daily  experience  (amidst  conflicts  and  discour- 
agements) of  the  consoling  power  of  that  religion  in 
which  he  had  found  peace,  and  often  enjoyed  peace  to  a 
degree  that  passed  understanding.  On  the  other  hand, 
it  is  a  heart-withering  reflection,  that  his  mightier 
efforts  of  genius — the  poems  by  which  he  commands 
universal  admiration — though  they  breathe  the  soul  of 
purest,  humblest,  holiest  piet}r,  and  might  have  been 
written  amidst  the  clear  shining  of  the  Sun  of  righteous- 
ness arisen  on  him  with  healing  in  his  wings — were  yet 
composed  under  darkness  like  that  of  the  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death.  While  the  tempted  poet  sung  the 
privileges,  the  duties,  and  the  blessedness  of  the  Chris- 
tian, he  had  himself  lost  all  except  the  remembrance 

*  Essay  on  Cowper's  Poems,  among  the  "  Select  Christian 
Authors,"  by  Montgomery. 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  63 

that  he  once  possessed  them,  and  the  bitter,  insane,  and 
invincible  conviction,  that  for  him  there  was  no  hope, 
either  in  this  life,  or  that  ivhich  is  to  come.  Under  this 
frightful  delusion,  in  its  last  effect,  for  several  years, 
even  his  intellectual  being  was  absorbed,  till  the  disor- 
dered body  fell  into  dust,  and  the  soul  returned  to  God 
who  gave  it." 


0amucl  Qtennctt,  P.P. 

Dr.  Stexxett  was  a  native  of  Exeter,  England,  and 
descended  from  pious  ancestors,  who,  for  several  gene- 
rations, were  conspicuous  in  the  Baptist  Church  as 
ministers  of  talent,  learning,  and  piety.  He  was  or- 
dained to  the  pastoral  office  in  the  year  1758, — being 
then  thirty-one  years  of  age, — as  successor  to  his  fa- 
ther in  "the  Christian  Church  assembling  in  Little 
Wild  street,  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  London."  The  de- 
gree of  doctor  in  divinity  was  conferred  upon  him 
without  any  solicitation  on  his  part,  in  the  year  1763, 
by  the  King's  College  and  University  of  Aberdeen. 
After  exercising  himself  in  the  office  of  the  ministry 
with  great  acceptability  and  usefulness  for  thirty-seven 
years,  Dr.  Stennett  died  on  the  25th  of  August,  1795, 
in  the  sixty-eighth  year  of  his  age.  His  loss,  says  his 
biographer,  was  deeply  regretted,  not  only  by  all  the 
Baptist  churches  throughout  the  kingdom,  but  also  by 
many  most  respectable  persons  of  other  denominations 
of  Protestant  Dissenters,  and  also  of  the  National  Es- 
tablishment. His  works  were  collected  and  published, 
together  witli  an  account  of  his  life  and  writings,  bv 
William  Jones,  in  three  octavo  volumes,  London,  1824. 
His  hymns,  only  thirty-four  in  number,  after  those  of 


64  METHODIST    HVMNOLOGY. 

Watts  and  Wesley,  may  be  mentioned  as  among  the 
best  that  have  been  written  in  the  English  language. 


Josep!)  Stcnnett. 

This  author  was  the  grandfather  of  Dr.  Stennett,  the 
subject  of  the  precedent  sketch.  For  twenty-three 
years  he  was  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  which  assem- 
bled at  Pinner's  Hall,  in  London,  where  his  piety  and 
usefulness  procured  for  him  the  affectionate  regard  of 
his  brethren,  the  dissenting  ministers  of  the  metropolis. 
He  is  known  to  the  religious  world  as  the  author  of 
three  octavo  volumes  of  sermons ;  a  fourth  volume,  con- 
taining a  version  of  Solomon's  Song,  Hymns  on  Bap- 
tism and  the  Lord's  Supper,  and  various  smaller  pieces 
on  miscellaneous  subjects  ;  and  a  fifth  volume,  the  con- 
tents of  which  are  of  a  controversial  character,  on  the 
subject  of  baptism.  His  works  were  published  in 
1732.  Several  of  Mr.  Stennett's  hymns  are  contained 
in  the  Baptist  hymn-books,  and  are  still  used  in  pub- 
lic worship  ;  but  they  are  not  to  be  compared  in  poetic 
merit  with  those  of  his  equally  talented  grandson. 

Kctmtul  ftlcukj]. 

"  This  respectable  minister,"  says  Lady  Huntingdon's 
biographer,  "  was  originally  in  the  navy,  and  engaged 
in  several  actions.  Being  severely  wounded,  he  was 
permitted  to  return  to  his  grandfather's  house  till  per- 
fectly recovered.  As  soon  as  he  was  able  to  go  abroad, 
he  attended  with  his  grandfather  (a  deacon  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church  in  Eagle-street,  London)  the  ministry  of 
Mr.  Whitefield  and  Dr.  GifFord,  when  it  pleased  God 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  65 

to  lead  him  to  a  saving  acquaintance  with  divine  things. 
He  was  twenty-seven  years  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church 
at  Liverpool,  and  during  that  period  one  of  the  regular 
supplies  at  Tabernacle  and  Tottenham-court  Chapel," 
two  of  Lady  Huntingdon's  chapels  in  London  ;  where, 
it  is  said,  his  ministry  was  greatly  owned.  He  died  in 
1799,  aged  sixty-one ;  and  the  following  year  was  pub- 
lished his  volume  of  original  hymns,  from  which  were 
taken  the  two  by  him  in  our  collection. 


ifliss  3Ume  Steele. 

This  amiable,  pious,  and  talented  lady,  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  Rev.  William  Steele,  pastor  of  the  Baptist 
Church  at  Broughton,  in  Hampshire,  England.  She 
was  a  member  of  her  father's  church  forty-six  years, 
and  died  in  November,  1778,  in  the  sixty-second  year 
of  her  age.  She  published,  during  her  life,  under  the 
assumed  name  of  Theodosia,  two  volumes  of  her  com- 
positions, mostly  poetical ;  and  a  third  volume  was 
published  after  her  death,  by  her  friend,  Dr.  Caleb 
Evans,  of  Bristol.  Her  excellent  hymns,  by  which, 
though  dead,  she  still  speaks,  and  which,  with  her 
other  writings,  says  Dr.  Evans,  are  the  faithful  counter- 
part of  her  amiable  mind,  exhibit  to  us  the  fairest  picture 
of  the  original.  The  following  lines,  composed  by  one 
of  her  nieces,  are  inscribed  on  her  tomb  : — 

"  Silent  the  lyre,  and  dumb  the  tuneful  tongue, 

That  sung  on  earth  her  great  Redeemer's  praise  ; 
But  now  in  heaven  she  joins  the  angelic  song, 
In  more  harmonious,  more  exalted  lays." 


66  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 


Robert  Kobmaon. 

This  individual  obtained  in  his  day,  by  his  versatility 
of  talents,  and  frequent  changes  of  theological  tenets, 
both  celebrity  and  notoriety.  He  was  a  native  of 
Swaffham,  in  the  county  of  Norfolk,  England,  and  in 
the  year  1*752,  at  the  early  age  of  seventeen,  became  a 
student  at  the  Tabernacle,  one  of  Lady  Huntingdon's 
chapels,  in  London.  His  talents  as  a  public  speaker 
were  of  a  high  order ;  he  could  command  the  attention 
of  every  ear,  and  possessed  almost  absolute  dominion 
over  his  audience.  After  preaching  for  some  time  at 
the  Tabernacle,  he  left  the  Calvinistic  Methodists,  and 
formed  an  Independent  church,  consisting  of  persons 
who  had  imbibed  his  sentiments.  In  a  short  time  he 
changed  again,  and  became  a  Baptist.  These  changes 
all  took  place  in  the  course  of  a  few  years,  and  before 
he  had  reached  the  age  of  twenty-five ;  at  which  period 
of  his  life  he  was  invited  to  the  pastoral  charge  of  the 
Baptist  Church  at  Cambridge.  This  unhappy  disposi- 
tion to  change  in  his  youth,  was  followed  by  an  insta- 
bility in  maturer  years,  which  betrayed  itself  in  regard 
to  subjects  of  the  utmost  importance.  His  unbounded 
self-conceit,  and  sovereign  contempt  of  others,  prepared 
a  heart,  already  gone  astray  from  divine  guidance  and 
evangelical  truth,  to  drink  the  cup  of  Socinianism  to  the 
drogs.  His  eccentricity  and  love  of  novelty  were  fur- 
ther shown  in  his  refusal,  for  some  time,  to  eat  except 
when  he  was  hungry ;  and  to  follow  nature,  he  would 
retire  to  bed  only  when  he  was  overpowered  with 
sleep,  so  that  day  was  turned  into  night,  and  night  into 
day 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  67 

Besides  the  hymn, — 

"  Come,  thou  Fount  of  every  blessing,"  &c., 

Mr.  Robinson,  according  to  his  biographer,  wrote  an- 
other, a  Christmas  hymn,  in  the  same  strain,  which  was 
set  to  music  by  his  friend,  Dr.  Randall,  Professor  of 
Music  in  the  University  of  Cambridge.  This  hymn  we 
have  not  been  able  to  discover,  unless  it  be  the  one 
commencing, 

"  Mighty  God,  while  angels  bless  thee." 

He  is  also  said  to  be,  but  we  know  not  on  what  autho- 
rity, the  author  of  the  hymn  beginning, 

"  Sweet  the  moments,  rich  in  blessing." 

3q\)\\  UakcrocU. 

This  venerable  and  excellent  man,  a  native  of  Green- 
wich, England,  the  author  of  many  hymns,  was  one  of 
the  very  first  who  labored  as  a  "helper,"  or  local 
preacher,  in  connection  with  the  Wesleys,  and  the  early 
Methodists  ;  having  begun  to  act  in  that  capacity  about 
the  year  1*749.  His  mortal  remains  lie  in  the  burying- 
ground  adjoining  the  City  Road  Chapel,  in  London :  and 
the  inscription  on  his  tomb-stone  states,  that  he  died 
March  18,  1819,  aged  ninety-eight  years;  having 
adorned  the  doctrine  of  God  our  Saviour  eighty  years, 
and  having  preached  his  glorious  gospel  about  seventy 
years.  A  letter,  written  by  Mr.  Bakewell,  was  in- 
serted in  the  Wesleyan  Methodist  Magazine  for  1816, 
page  538. 


68  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 


3o\y.\  Cennick. 

This  individual,  well  known  in  the  early  days  of  Me- 
thodism for  his  frequent  changes  of  religious  opinions, 
became  acquainted  with  Messrs.  John  and  Charles  Wes- 
ley in  the  year  1739,  and  was  appointed  by  the  former 
his  first  teacher  at  Kingswood  school.  This  appoint- 
ment was  probably  made  on  the  recommendation  of 
Mr.  Whitefield,  with  whom  Cennick  had  formed  a  very 
intimate  acquaintance.  Here,  however,  he  was  unfaith- 
ful to  his  trust ;  and  when  his  friend  Whitefield  began 
to  preach  Calvinistic  doctrines,  Cennick,  in  opposition 
to  Mr.  Wesley's  views  and  wishes,  followed  his  exam- 
ple, which  was  justly  the  occasion  of  his  discharge 
from  Kingswood.  He  then  joined  Mr.  Whitefield,  and 
became  very  popular  for  a  time.  Subsequently  he 
joined  the  Moravians,  in  connection  with  whom  he  re- 
mained until  his  death,  in  1*755.  The  biographer  of  the 
countess  of  Huntingdon  speaks  of  Cennick  as  possessing 
"  a  sweet  simplicity  of  spirit,  with  an  ardent  zeal  in  the 
cause  of  his  divine  Master;"  and  gives  him  the  title  of 
founder  of  the  Brethren's  churches  in  Dublin  and  the 
north  of  Ireland.  And  his  memory  and  works  have 
been  celebrated  in  a  poem  by  his  friend  Bishop  Gam- 
bold,  of  the  Moravian  Church. 

Cennick's  hymns  are  numerous,  amounting  to  up- 
ward of  eight  hundred,  and  fill  two  thick  volumes ; 
but,  in  their  poetic  character,  are  mere  doggerel.  Yet 
two  of  them, — 

"  Jesus,  my  all,  to  heaven  is  gone," 
and, 

t;  Children  of  the  heavenly  King," 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  69 

as  amended  in  the  Hymn-book,  have  become  exceed- 
ingly popular.     The  other  hymn,  commencing, 

"  The  Saviour  meets  his  flock  to-day," 
in  its  present  dress,  especially  verses  2  and  3,  can- 
not, with    strict    adherence    to    fact,    be  ascribed  to 
Cennick ;  who,  however,  has  an  undoubted  right  to  the 
original. 

This  author,  who  also  wrote  several  volumes  of  "  Vil- 
lage Discourses,"  which  still  circulate  among  the  Cal- 
vinistic  Dissenters  in  England,  has  been  highly  honored 
in  another  particular.  Two  of  his  short  hymns,  or 
"  graces" — one  to  be  used  "  before  meat,"  the  other 
"  after  meat" — are,  to  this  day,  almost  universally  adopt- 
ed by  the  Methodists  in  England,  before  and  after  each 
meal,  to  the  exclusion  of  those  excellent  compositions 
of  a  similar  kind,  by  Charles  Wesley ;  some  specimens  of 
which  maybe  found  in  this  volume.   See  pp.  140-142. 

Cennick's  "graces" — which  are  among  his  very  best 
attemjits  at  poetry,  on  account  of  their  celebrity  among 
the  English  Wesleyans — deserve  to  be  inserted  here. 

Before  Meat. 
"  Be  present  at  our  table,  Lord ; 
Be  here  and  everywhere  adored  : 
Thy  creatures  bless,  and  grant  that  we 
May  feast  in  paradise  with  thee." 

After  Meat. 
"  We  bless  thee,  Lord,  for  this  our  food  ; 
But  more  for  Jesus'  flesh  and  blood — 
The  manna  to  our  spirits  given, 
The  living  bread  sent  down  from  heaven  : 
Praise  shall  our  grateful  lips  employ, 
While  life  and  plenty  we  enjoy  ; 
Till  worthy  we  adore  thy  name, 
While  banqueting  with  Christ,  the  Lamb." 


10  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

The  last  four  lines  of  the  grace  "after  meat"  are 
sometimes  omitted. 

Cennick  is  also  the  reputed  author  of  the  fine  hymn, 
commencing, 

"  Rise,  my  soul,  and  stretch  thy  wings, 
Thy  better  portion  trace :" 

but  it  is  in  a  strain  far  superior  to  his ;  and  was  com- 
posed by  the  Rev.  R.  Seagrave,  author  of  a  small 
volume  of  hymns,  the  third  edition  of  which  was  pub- 
lished in  England,  in  1*745  :  he  also  published  a  volume 
of  sermons. 

loijn  (Bambolfr. 

A  mast,  says  Mr.  Watson,  of  fine  genius,  as  some  of 
his  poems  show,  and  of  eminent  holiness.  He  was  a 
clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England,  which  he  left, 
and  became  a  Moravian  bishop.  Mr.  Gambold's  ac- 
quaintance with  John  and  Charles  Wesley  commenced 
in  the  year  1730,  when  a  friendship  was  formed  be- 
tween them,  which  was  both  sincere  and  lasting.  After 
the  brothers  had  left  England  on  their  mission  to 
America,  their  friend  wrote  an  account  of  them  in  a 
letter  to  one  of  their  relations ;  some  passages  of  which 
Mr.  Watson  has  inserted  in  his  Life  of  Wesley,  which 
are  alike  honorable  to  the  writer  and  the  subjects  of 
his  remarks.  Mr.  Gambold  was  the  author  of  "  Igna- 
tius, a  Tragedy,"  various  minor  pieces,  and  many  hymns 
in  the  Moravian  Brethren's  Collection.     He  wrote  the 

following 

Epitaph  on  himself. 

"  Ask  not  who  ended  here  his  span  ? 
His  name,  reproach,  and  praise,  was  man. 
Did  no  great  deeds  adorn  his  course  1 
No  deed  of  his,  but  show'd  him  worse : 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  71 

One  thing  was  great,  which  God  supplied, 
He  suffer'd  human  life — and  died. 
"What  points  of  knowledge  did  he  gain  ? 
That  life  was  sacred  all — and  vain : 
Sacred  how  high,  and  vain  how  low, 
He  knew  not  here,  but  died  to  know." 

The  last  two  lines  will  doubtless  appear  familiar  to 
many  readers,  who  will  now,  for  the  first  time,  be  made 
acquainted  with  their  authorship. 


loljn  ftlctscm,  21.  ill. 

This  author,  who  was  rector  of  Water-Stratford,  Buck- 
inghamshire, died  in  1694,  and  was  the  grandfather  of 
the  celebrated  author  of  the  same  name,  on  Self-Know- 
ledge.  He  published  an  anonymous  work,  entitled 
"  Spiritual  Songs  ;  or,  Songs  of  Praise,  with  Penitential 
Cries  to  Almighty  God,  upon  Several  Occasions  ;  toge- 
ther with  the  Song  of  Songs,  which  is  Solomon's,  first 
turned,  then  paraphrased,  in  English  Verse  : — with  an 
Addition  of  a  Sacred  Poem  on  Dives  and  Lazarus." 
When  the  first  edition  of  this  volume  was  published 
we  have  not  been  able  to  learn ;  but  the  third  appeared 
in  1691  :  and,  although  in  1750  it  had  reached  the 
fourteenth  edition,  the  author's  name  was  never  inserted 
in  the  title.  The  writer's  style  is  a  middle  tint  be- 
tween the  raw  coloring  of  Quarles  and  the  daylight 
clearness  of  Watts  and  Wesley.  His  talent  is  equally 
poised  between  his  forerunner  and  his  successors,  hav- 
ing more  vigor  than  the  former,  and  less  versatility  than 
the  latter.  That  such  writings,  says  Montgomery, 
should  once  have  been  exceedingly  popular,  (as  the 
multitude  of  editions  proves,)  and  now  be  nearly  for- 


72  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

gotten,  is  little  creditable  to  the  admirers  of  sacred 
literature  in  Great  Britain.  The  same  author  thinks 
that  Dr.  Watts,  Mr.  Pope,  and  the  Wesleys,  were  fa- 
miliar with  the  contents  of  this  volume ;  sundry  lines 
and  phrases  in  verses  of  theirs  being  evidently  borrowed 
from  passages  in  it.  The  truth  of  this  assertion  in 
reference  to  Watts,  the  writer  of  the  present  work  had 
discovered  before  he  read  Mr.  Montgomery's  remarks, 
and  instanced  the  following  stanza  from  Mason,  the 
first  two  lines  of  which  Dr.  Watts  has  adopted  entire 
in  one  of  his  divine  songs  : — 

"  What  shall  I  render  to  my  God 
For  all  his  gifts  to  me? 
Sing,  heaven  and  earth,  rejoice  and  praise 
His  glorious  Majesty." 

His  compositions  were  highly  valued  by  the  Dis- 
senters, and  were  often  sung  in  their  congregations 
previous  to  the  publication  of  Watts's  hymns. 

Bisljop   Kemt. 

Thomas  Kenn,  some  time  bishop  of  Bath  and  Wells, 
was  born  in  1637,  and  died  in  1710.  He  had  the 
double  honor  of  being  one  of  the  seven  prelates  sent 
to  the  Tower  for  protesting  against  the  tyrannical  usur- 
pations of  spiritual  authority  by  James  II.,  and  also  of 
conscientiously  vacating  his  see  rather  than  take  the 
oaths  to  William  III.,  after  having-  sworn  allegiance  to 
his  predecessor.  His  poems  are  numerous,  and  of  consi- 
derable merit,  though  by  three  only  is  he  now  generally 
known — the  Morning,  Evening,  and  Midnight  Hymns. 
These  were  originally  published  by  the  bishop,  in  the 
year  1697,  at  the  end  of  a  small  "Manual  of  Pray- 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  73 

ers  for  the  Use  of  the  Scholars  of  Winchester  Col- 
lege."* 

In  reference  to  these  hymns,  Mr.  Montgomery  re- 
marks : — "  Had  he  endowed  three  hospitals,  he  might 
have  been  less  a  benefactor  to  posterity.  There  is 
exemplary  plainness  of  speech,  manly  vigor  of  thought, 
and  consecration  of  heart,  in  these  pieces." 

Jane  (frajilor. 

This  accomplished  lady  was  never  married,  and  died 
in  1824,  aged  forty-one.  She  was  one  of  the  authors 
— with  her  sister,  Mrs.  Gilbert,  and  others — of  Rhymes 
for  the  Nursery,  Original  Poems,  and  Hymns  for  In- 
fant Minds.  "  Her  tale  of  Display,  and  Contributions 
of  Q.  Q.  to  the  Youth's  Magazine,"  says  the  editor  of 
the  Christian  Poet,  "  are  well-known  and  esteemed. 
But  her  greatest  performance,  under  the  modest  title 
of  Essays  in  Rhyme,  though  the  circulation  has  been 
creditable  to  the  author's  name  among  cotemporaries, 
has  never  been  appreciated  as  it  ought  to  be  in  the 
polite  literature  of  the  age.     No  poet  of  the  time  (not 

*  This  work  was  useful  to  Whitefield  in  his  early  religious 
experience,  and  is  alluded  to  by  Dr.  Southey  in  the  following 
extract  from  his  Life  of  Wesley : — "  He  [Whitefield]  had  a 
devout  disposition  and  a  tender  heart.  When  he  was  about  ten 
years  old,  his  mother  made  a  second  marriage :  it  proved  an 
unhappy  one.  During  the  affliction  to  which  this  led,  his  bro- 
ther used  to  read  aloud  Bishop  Kenn's  Manual  for  Winchester 
Scholars.  This  book  affected  George  Whitefield  greatly ;  and 
when  the  corporation,  at  their  annual  visitation  of  St.  Mary  de 
Crypt's  School,  where  he  was  educated,  gave  him,  according  to 
custom,  money  for  the  speeches  which  he  was  chosen  to  deliver, 
he  purchased  the  book,  and  found  it,  he  says,  of  great  benefit  to 
his  soul." 

4 


*74  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

excepting  tlie  greatest)  has  shown  more  exquisite  skill 
in  delineating  human  nature,  human  manners,  and  hu- 
man frailties.  Few  volumes  contain  so  much  of  sober, 
sad  reality,  concerning  those  things  that  most  concern 
us  all,  than  these  unpretending  essays.  The  author 
has  arrayed  her  opinions  in  such  language  of  light,  that 
the  clearness,  simplicity,  and  beauty,  of  the  dress, 
though  it  does  not  strike  a  vulgar  eye,  would  have 
ravishing  attractions  for  the  eye  of  taste,  were  not  the 
subjects  so  repulsive  to  '  the  carnal  mind,'  that  if  they 
were  clad,  like  the  angel  at  the  sepulchre,  in  raiment 
white  as  snow,  and  having  countenances  like  lightning, 
those  who  are  under  the  influence  of  '  enmity  toward 
God,'  would  only  the  more  exceedingly  tremble  and 
quake,  and  become  as  dead  men  before  them.  The 
world  may  laugh  and  affect  to  despise  such  writings, 
but  it  is  often  the  laugh  that  would  hide  agony ;  and 
the  scorn  that  cannot  appease  fearful  misgivings,  lest 
that  which  is  hated  may  actually  be  true."  Her  com- 
plete works,  in  two  handsome  volumes,  have  recently 
been  republished  in  this  country. 

Among  Miss  Taylor's  Poetical  Remains,  published 
after  her  death,  together  with  Memoirs  by  her  brother, 
the  Rev.  Isaac  Taylor,  are  five  stanzas  of  a  hymn  by 
Charles  Wesley,  which  also  appear  in  Toplady's  works, 
commencing, 

"  What  though  I  cannot  break  my  chain  ?" 
See  page  45.     Miss  Taylor  probably  copied  the  stan- 
zas from  Toplady,  which,  being  found  by  her  brother 
among  her  manuscripts,  were  inserted,  as  above  men- 
tioned, in  her  Remains. 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOG1  75 


Sate  ciub   Brabg. 

N.  Brady,  D.  D.,  Chaplain  in  Ordinary,  and  N.  Tate, 
Esq.,  Poet  Laureate  to  her  Majesty,  Queen  Anne,  au- 
thors of  "  A  New  Version  of  the  Psalms  of  David, 
fitted  to  the  Tunes  to  be  used  in  Churches."  The 
"  new  version"  supplanted  the  "  old  "  one  by  Steinhold 
and  Hopkins,  and  is  now  used  by  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land. The  first  edition  of  this  work,  in  its  complete 
form,  appeared  in  1098,  accompanied  by  the  royal 
authority,  allowing  its  use  "  in  all  churches,  chapels,  and 
congregations,  as  should  think  fit  to  receive  the  same." 


Jtames  itteiTuk,  ill.  2t. 

Mr.  Merrick  was  a  Fellow  of  Trinity  College,  Oxford ; 
and  as  a  translator  of  the  Psalms,  he  brought  to  the 
task,  says  Holland,  in  perhaps  a  greater  degree  than 
they  had  been  combined  in  any  previous  versifier,  the 
accomplishments  of  the  scholar,  the  poet,  and  the 
Christian.  Of  his  talents  for  poetry,  the  work  by 
which  he  is  now  best  known  is  an  imperishable  memo- 
rial :  it  was  first  printed  in  Reading,  England,  in  1*765, 
under  the  title  of  "  The  Psalms  translated,  or  para- 
phrased, in  English  Verse."  But  whatever  might  be 
the  merit  of  Merrick's  compositions  in  a  poetical  point 
of  view,  they  were  not  "  calculated  for  the  uses  of  public 
worship."  To  obviate  this  inconvenience,  the  Rev.  W. 
D.  Tattersall  published  an  edition  of  the  work,  in  1*797, 
"divided  into  stanzas  for  parochial  use;"  in  doing 
which,  he  found  it  necessary  frequently  to  alter  the 


76  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

original  phraseology  of  the  poet — a  delicate  task,  but 
one  which  was  admirably  accomplished. 


lUUUam  ill.    5 anting 

Is  a  member  of  the  British  Conference,  and  the  oldest 
son  of  Rev.  Dr.  Bunting,  who  is  said  to  be  the  most 
influential  minister  of  the  Wesleyan  Church.  The  son 
is  unlike  the  father  both  in  physical  and  mental  confor- 
mation. Mr.  West,  in  his  very  interesting  work,  lately 
published,  entitled  Sketches  of  Wesleyan  Preachers, 
says,  "He  is  tall  and  thin,  of  delicate,  almost  sickly 
appearance,  and  far  from  being  of  a  robust  constitution, 
with  a  fine  benevolent  countenance,  a  noble  head,  and  a 
full  massive  forehead,  bare  of  hair  to  a  considerable 
elevation.  From  his  appearance,  no  one  would  think 
him  capable  of  performing  the  arduous  labors  of  a 
Wesleyan  itinerant  preacher :  at  times,  indeed,  it  seems 
scarcely  probable  that  he  can  survive  a  change  of  sea- 
sons ;  and  more  than  once  he  has  been  regarded  as  one 
going  down  to  the  tomb  by  gradual  but  certain  ad- 
vances." 

Mr.  Bunting  is  a  man  of  extensive  and  varied  learn- 
ing, and,  as  a  preacher,  has  always  been  popular,  and 
ranked  deservedly  high.  His  character  for  nobleness 
and  generosity — for  he  is  blessed  with  much  of  this 
world's  goods — is  proverbial ;  and  if  he  has  a  fault,  it 
is  because  he  sometimes  exhibits  too  much  freedom  of 
speech  and  independence  of  action,  being  at  all  times, 
and  under  all  circumstances,  impatient  of  restraint.  He 
is  a  writer  of  great  power,  his  style  bearing  a  strong 
resemblance  to  that  of  Dr.  Johnson,  to  whom  he  is 
little  inferior.     Of  this  talent  he  made  good  use  some 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  11 

years  ago,  during  the  Warrenite  controversy,  when  his 
Letters  proved  him  to  be  one  of  the  church's  most 
powerful  and  efficient  defenders.  His  introductory 
chapter  to  the  Select  Letters  of  the  late  talented  and 
pious  Mrs.  Agnes  Bulmer  may  also  be  mentioned  as  a 
specimen  of  profound  thought  elegantly  expressed. 

As  a  poet,  Mr.  Bunting  is  of  no  mean  order.  Some 
of  his  contributions  to  the  Wesleyan  Methodist  Maga- 
zine, over  anonymous  signatures,  are  as  exquisite  gems 
of  sacred  fugitive  poetry  as  are  to  be  found  anywhere. 
He  is  also  the  author  of  a  considerable  number  of  the 
finest  compositions  to  be  found  in  Dr.  Liefchild's  volume 
of  Original  Hymns,  recently  published  in  England. 


<ftt)omcx0   ©Itomf 

Is  a  name  intimately  and  inseparably  connected  in  life 
and  in  death  with  that  of  Wesley ;  and  for  the  part  he 
performed  in  connection  with  that  eminent  and  holy 
man,  he  deserves  to  be  held  in  honored  remembrance 
by  Methodists  until  the  latest  generation.  Neither  the 
ribald  jests  of  Sir  Richard  and  Rowland  Hill,  whether 
delivered  in  prose  or  doggerel  verse,  nor  the  disdainful 
sarcasms  of  Augustus  Toplady,  could  for  a  moment 
quench  the  burning  zeal  of  this  "  fiery-minded  Welsh- 
man," as  Dr.  Southey  has  been  pleased  to  call  this  able 
defender  of  Scripture  truth  and  experimental  Chris- 
tianity. As  the  polemic  advocate  of  Mr.  Wesley  and 
Arminianism,  against  the  opposers  of  both,  he  did  good 
service  ;  and  his  controversial  writings,  which  deserve 
a  place  beside  those  of  Fletcher  and  Sellon,  will  remain 
lasting  memorials  of  his  talents  and  usefulness,  while 


78  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

his  poetical  effusions  entitle  him  to  a  rank  among  the 
first  class  of  hymnic  composers.  There  is  not,  per- 
haps, in  the  language,  a  hymn  which  has  elicited  more 
universal  praise  than  his  "  God  of  Abraham."  He 
composed  several  other  hymns,  and  the  tunes  to  which 
they  were  originally  sung,  and  also  a  "  Descriptive  and 
Plaintive  Ele§y  on  the  Death  of  the  late  John  Wesley." 
A  few  stanzas  from  this  scarce  tract,  in  which  he  de- 
scribes Mr.  Wesley's  pastoral  care  over  his  societies, 
will  not  be  unacceptable  to  the  reader  : — 

"  If  e'er  our  lukewarm  souls  grew  cold  and  dead, 
And  all  his  mild  reproofs  flew  o'er  our  head, 
He  changed  his  softer  notes,  and  look'd  with  sterner  brow, 
And  fain  would  use  the  rod ;  but  O,  he  knew  not  how ! 

"  When  feuds  and  contests  rose,  to  wound  our  peace, 
His  prudence  soon  prevail'd  to  make  them  cease  : 
He  heard  our  sad  complaints  ;  then  look'd,  and  meekly  smiled  ; 
We  blush'd,  and  then  shook  hands,  and  so  were  reconciled. 

"  Beset  on  every  side  with  worldly  cares, 
He  warn'd  us  night  and  day,  with  many  tears, 
To  shun  the  dangerous  road  where  twice  ten  thousand  fell, 
Who  barter'd  grace  for  gold,  and  now  lament  in  hell." 

Mr.  Olivers  was,  for  a  number  of  years,  Mr.  Wesley's 
resident  assistant  editor  of  the  Arminian  Magazine,  in 
which  office  he  did  not  appear  to  advantage,  having 
entered  upon  it  too  late  in  life,  and  was  superseded  by 
another  in  1789.  He,  however,  continued  his  residence 
in  London,  where  he  exercised  his  ministry,  as  the  in- 
firmities of  his  age  permitted,  till  March,  1799,  when 
he  died  somewhat  suddenly,  aged  seventy-four.  His 
remains  were  deposited  in  Mr.  Wesley's  tomb,  behind 
the  City  Road  Chapel. 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  10 


Ecgmctlfc  ff^bcr,  JD.J5., 

Bishop  of  Calcutta,  was  born  in  Yorkshire,  England, 
in  1783.  During  the  time  he  was  pursuing  his  studies, 
he  greatly  distinguished  himself  by  obtaining  several 
prizes  ;  soon  after  which  he  was  elected  to  a  fellowship 
in  All  Souls  College,  when  he  went  abroad,  and  tra- 
veled in  Germany,  Russia,  and  the  Crimea.  After  his 
return  home,  he  took  his  master's  degree  at  Oxford,  in 
1808,  and  about  the  same  time  was  presented  to  the 
family  living  of  Hodnet,  and  for  several  years  devoted 
himself  zealously  to  his  duties  as  a  parochial  priest. 
On  the  death  of  Bishop  Middleton,  he  was  offered  the 
see  of  Calcutta,  which  he  accepted,  and  on  the  16th  of 
June,  1823,  embarked  for  the  East  Indies.  On  Ascen- 
sion Day,  1824,  Bishop  Heber  held  his  first  visitation 
in  the  cathedral  of  Calcutta,  and  subsequently  made 
visitations  through  various  districts  of  his  very  exten- 
sive diocese.  Having  arrived  at  Tirutchinopoli,  in  the 
discharge  of  his  episcopal  duty,  April  1,  1826,  the  next 
day,  while  bathing,  he  was  seized  with  an  apoplectic 
fit,  of  which  he  died.  "From  numerous  tributes 
which  have  been  paid  to  his  memory,  it  appears  that 
Bishop  Heber  was  an  excellent  and  virtuous  man,  a 
conscientious  performer  of  his  ministerial  duties,  and  a 
zealous  advocate  of  the  cause  of  Christianity." 

A  small  volume,  entitled,  "Hymns  written  and 
adapted  to  the  Weekly  Church  Service  of  the  Year. 
By  the  Right  Rev.  Reginald  Heber,  D.D.,  late  Lord 
Bishop  of  Calcutta,"  was  published  in  1827.  In  rela- 
tion to  these  hymns,  we  find  the  following  remarks  in 
the  Wesleyan  Methodist  Magazine  for  the  same  year : — 


80  METHODIST    HYMN0L0GY. 

"  They  breathe  a  devout  spirit,  recognize  the  peculiar 
doctrines  of  Christianity,  and,  as  poetical  compositions, 
some  of  them  possess  considerable  beauty ;  but  as  a 
whole,  they  are  incomparably  inferior,  both  in  language 
and  sentiment,  to  the  hymns  of  Charles  Wesley.  They 
are  too  imaginative  for  popular  use ;  and  are  not  suf- 
ficiently experimental  for  those  persons  who  have  felt 
the  sorrows  of  penitence,  and  the  peace  and  joy  which 
arise  from  a  vital  faith  in  Christ  crucified."  The  bish- 
op's best  composition  in  hymnic  verse,  and  which  has 
given  him  the  greatest  reputation,  is  his  well-known 
Missionary  Hymn. 

2Ujn£0  Utilnur. 

This  accomplished  lady  was  perhaps  the  most  talented 
female  author  that  has  yet  adorned  the  walks  of  Meth- 
odist literature.  Her  intellect  was  highly  cultivated, 
and  her  piety  deep  and  enlightened.  She  lived  on 
terms  of  intimacy  with  some  of  the  greatest  and  most 
useful  men  of  her  times,  and  took  a  lively  interest  in  the 
progress  of  true  religion  in  the  world,  especially  in  the 
Wesley  an  Church,  of  which  she  was  long  a  zealous 
member.  Her  principal  work  is  "Messiah's  King- 
dom." She  also  wrote  many  smaller  poems,  that 
were  published  in  the  Wesleyan  Methodist  Magazine, 
and  was  the  author  of  several  volumes  of  Scriptural 
biography,  intended  more  especially  for  the  use  of 
young  persons.  Since  her  death,  have  appeared,  in 
1842,  her  "Select  Letters,"  with  an  Introduction  and 
Notes  by  the  Rev.  William  M.  Bunting.  The  letters 
are  highly  characteristic,  referring  mostly  to  personal 
piety,  and  to  passing  circumstances   connected  with 


METHODIST    HY.VfXOLOGY.  81 

the  spread  of  evangelical  truth ;  and  the  introduction 
and  notes  are  valuable,  the  writer  having  "  touched 
with  a  masterly  hand,  and  in  a  truly  Christian  spirit, 
some  of  the  most  stirring  controversies  on  ecclesiastical 
order  which  are  agitated  in  the  present  day." 

"  Late  minister  of  the  gospel  in  Jewin-street,"  Lon- 
don, published  in  1759,  a  volume  of  "Hymns  on  Va- 
rious Subjects.  With  the  Author's  Experience."  The 
number  of  hymns,  no  less  than  nine,  which  this  hum- 
ble volume  contributes  to  the  contents  of  the  Hymn- 
book,  justifies  the  following  extract  from  the  author's 
preface  :  "  The  following  hymns  were  composed  partly 
from  several  passages  of  Scripture  laid  on  my  heart,  or 
opened  to  my  understanding,  from  time  to  time,  by  the 
Spirit  of  God,  or  else  hinted  to  me  by  other  Christians, 
(of  which  latter  there  are  indeed  very  few :)  partly 
from  impressions  felt  under  different  frames  of  spirit  at 
the  times  when  they  were  respectively  written,  and 
partly  from  spontaneous  impulses  or  serious  reflec- 
tions on  such  subjects  as  accidentally  occurred  to  my 

mind I  desire  wholly  to  submit  them,  with 

myself,  to  the  all-wise  disposal  of  that  God,  the  sweet  en- 
livening influences  of  whose  blessed  Spirit  I  often  felt 
while  they  were  composing.  All  I  would  humbly  wish 
is,  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  mighty  God,  the  Friend  of 
sinners,  would  be  pleased  to  make  them  in  some  mea- 
sure (weak  and  mean  as  they  are)  instrumental  in  set- 
ting forth  his  glory,  propagating  and  enforcing  the 
truths  of  the  gospel,  cheering  the  hearts  of  his  people, 
and  exalting  his  inestimable  righteousness,  upon  which 
4* 


82  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

alone  the  uirworthy  author  desires  to  rest  the  whole  of 
his  salvation."  This  pious  wish  has  been  signally 
granted ;  and  though,  like  Cennick  and  Medley,  he  must 
be  numbered  among  the  least  of  the  poets,  some  of 
his  hymns  have  "  become  an  imperishable  inheritance 
to  the  people  of  God."  Mr.  Hart  in  doctrine  was 
deeply  Calvinistic. 

3o\)\\  Jdtucett,  D.  P. 

Dr.  Fawcett  was  first  brought  under  religious  influ- 
ence by  the  preaching  of  Mr.  Whitefield ;  and,  at  the 
age  of  nineteen,  he  was  baptized  on  a  personal  pro- 
fession of  his  faith,  March  11,  1758,  and  became  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  Church  in  Bradford,  over  which 
he  was  ordained  pastor  in  1*764.  He  was  the  author 
of  several  works,  both  in  prose  and  poetry ;  the  greatest 
of  which  was  the  "  Devotional  Family  Bible,"  which  he 
completed,  after  four  years'  labor,  in  1811;  the  work 
forming  two  large  quarto  volumes.  "  And  to  give  the 
publication,"  says  Jones,  in  his  Christian  Biography, 
"  an  additional  impetus,  the  degree  of  doctor  in  di- 
vinity was  conferred  upon  him  by  one  of  the  American 
colleges."  In  the  year  1782  he  published  a  small 
volume  of  "  Hymns,  adapted  to  Public  Worship  and 
Private  Devotion  ;"  a  new  and  corrected  edition  of 
which  was  issued  in  1817.  In  the  preface  to  this  edi- 
tion the  author  says  :  "  Nearly  sixty  years  of  his  life 
have  been  employed  in  ministerial  labors  :  he  has  seen 
more  than  one  generation  of  his  hearers  pass  away, 
and  has  witnessed  many  changes  in  the  professing 
world  ;  but,  during  this  period,  his  views  of  evangelical 
truth  have  remained  the  same.  .  .  .  These  truths  have 


METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY,  83 

been  his  consolation  amidst  many  afflictions  ;  and,  sup- 
ported by  them,  he  is  ready  to  say,  with  good  old 
Simeon,  '  Lord,  now  Icttest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in 
•peace;  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation :' '"  which 
prayer  of  his  was  answered  on  the  25th  of  July,  1817, 
when  he  "  departed,"  in  the  seventy-seventh  year  of 
his  age. 

Dr.  Fawcett  was  a  self-taught  man,  and  could  read 
the  sacred  Scriptures  critically  in  their  original  lan- 
guages. "As  a  Christian  minister,"  says  a  biographer, 
"  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  speak  of  him  beyond  his 
merits.  His  instructions  were  enforced  by  the  power- 
ful influence  of  a  holy  life ;  for  his  character  was  uni- 
formly adorned  with  every  Christian  grace  and  virtue, 
though  his  unaffected  humility  and  meekness,  his  fervent 
piety,  and  his  ardent  habitual  devotion,  were  its  most 
prominent  features.  ...  He  took  a  lively  interest  in  all 
those  benevolent  institutions  which  sprang  up  in  his 
latter  days,  for  the  extension  of  the  Redeemer's  king- 
dom, such  as  the  Bible,  Missionary,  and  School  So- 
cieties ;  and  promoted  them  to  the  utmost  of  his  power." 
His  doctrinal  opinions  were  those  of  moderate  Calvinism. 


§cm\)  fit  ore,  P.  P. 

This  able  divine  was  born  in  1614.  His  parents  being 
Calvinists,  he  was  strictly  educated  in  their  principles  ; 
but,  much  against  their  wishes,  he  rejected  those  rigid 
tends,  and,  after  a  residence  of  three  years  at  Eaton, 
entered  Christ  College,  Cambridge,  of  which  he  was 
made  a  fellow  in  1G39.  In  1G75  he  obtained  a  pre- 
bend at  Gloucester,  which  he  soon  after  resigned  in 
favor  of  his  friend,  Dr.  Fowler ;  and  satisfied  "  with  a 


84  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

small,  but  independent  competency,"  rejected  offers 
of  high  preferment,  which  he  might  have  obtained. 
He  died  in  1687.  He  was  the  author  of  "  Song  of  the 
Soule,  a  Platonic  Poem."  We  know  not  whether  he 
wrote  any  other  hymns  besides  those  in  the  Hymn-book. 

iDilltam  fjammonlr, 

"  Late  of  St.  John's  College,  in  Cambridge,"  published 
a  volume  of  original  "  Psalms,  Hymns,  and  Spiritual 
Songs,"  in  1 145.  In  this  work  first  appeared  the  hymn 
in  our  collection  by  this  author. 


It  is  a  subject  of  no  little  interest  and  importance  to 
ascertain  the  authorship  of  such  hymns  as  were  not 
composed  by  Charles  Wesley.  This  we  have  endea- 
vored to  do  ;  and  the  following  list,  it  is  believed,  will 
be  found  correct.  The  authors  of  a  few  hymns  are  un- 
known. All  the  hymns  in  the  Hymn-book,  except  those 
found  in  the  following  table,  may,  with  great  certainty, 
be  assigned  to  Charles  Wesley. 

By  Rev.  John  Wesley  : 

301 .  Come,  Saviour,  Jesus,  from  above. 

384.  Commit  thou  all  thy  griefs. 
697.  Eternal  depth  of  love  divine. 
193.  Extended  on  a  cursed  tree. 

476.  Father  of  all,  whose  powerful  voice. 

385.  Give  to  the  winds  thy  fears. 
460.  High  on  his  everlasting  throne. 

12.  Ho  !  every  one  that  thirsts,  draw  nigh. 
307.  Holy  Lamb,  who  thee  receive. 
548.  How  happy  is  the  pilgrim's  lot. 
283.  Into  thy  gracious  hands  I  fall. 
110.  I  thirst,  thou  wounded  Lamb  of  God. 


METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY.  85 

354.  Jesus,  to  thee  my  heart  I  bow. 
289.  Jesus,  thy  blood  and  righteousness, 
321.  Jesus,  thy  boundless  love  to  me. 
185.  Jesus,  whose  glory's  streaming  rays. 
285.  Lo  !  God  is  here,  let  us  adore. 

74.  My  soul  before  Thee  prostrate  lies. 
399.  Now  I  have  found  the  ground  wherein. 
510.  O  God,  my  God,  my  all  thou  art. 
205.  O  God,  of  good  the  unfathom'd  sea. 
207.  O  God,  thou  bottomless  abyss. 
373.  O  God,  what  offering  shall  I  give. 
335.  O  Jesus,  source  of  calm  repose. 
120.  0  Sun  of  righteousness,  arise. 
116.  O  Thou,  to  whose  all-searching  sight. 
170.  0  Thou  who  all  things  canst  control. 
463.  Saviour  of  men,  thy  searching  eye. 
462.  Shall  I,  for  fear  of  feeble  man. 
244.  Thee  will  I  love,  my  strength,  my  tower. 
304.  Thou  hidden  love  of  God,  whose  height. 
396.  Thou  Lamb  of  God,  thou  Prince  of  peace. 
496.  We  lift  our  hearts  to  Thee. 
278.  Ye  simple  souls,  that  stray. 

By  Rev.  Samuel  Wesley,  Sen.  : 

188.  Behold  the  Saviour  of  mankind. 
By  Rev.  Samuel  Wesley,  Jun.  : 

689.  Hail !  Father,  whose  creating  call. 

522.  The  Lord  of  sabbath  let  us  praise. 

568.  The  morning  flowers  display  their  sweets. 

By  Dr.  Watts: 

191.  Alns  !  and  did  my  Saviour  bleed. 
130.  All  glory  to  the  dying  Lamb. 
276.  Almighty  Maker,  God. 

607.  Am  I  soldier  of  the  cross  ? 
554.  And  must  this  body  die  ? 

266.  Before  Jehovah's  awful  throne. 
445.  Blcss'd  are  the  sons  of  peace. 

608.  Behold  the  sure  foundation  stone. 
129.  Come,  Holy  Spirit,  heavenly  dove. 


86  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

269.  Come,  let  us  join  our  cheerful  songs. 
253.  Come,  ye  that  love  the  Lord. 
212.  Eternal  Power,  whose  high  ahode. 
203.  Eternal  Wisdom,  thee  we  praise. 
201.  Father,  how  wide  thy  glory  shines. 
671.  Give  me  the  wings  of  faith  to  rise. 
466.  Go,  preach  my  gospel,  saith  the  Lord. 
692.  God  is  a  name  my  soul  adores. 

617.  Great  God,  attend  while  Sion  sings. 
115.  Great  God,  indulge  my  humble  claim. 

618.  Great  is  the  Lord  our  God. 

568.  Hark,  from  the  tombs  a  doleful  sound. 
524.  He  dies,  the  Eriend  of  sinners  dies. 
456.  How  beauteous  are  their  feet. 
27.  How  sad  our  state  by  nature  is. 
161.  How  vain  are  all  things  here  below-. 
616.  How  pleasant,  Iioav  divinely  fair. 
675.  How  large  the  promise,  how  divine. 

262.  I  '11  praise  my  Maker  while  I  've  breath. 
479.  Jesus  shall  reign  where'er  the  sun. 
246.  Jesus,  thou  everlasting  King. 

13.  Let  every  mortal  ear  attend. 

263.  Let  every  tongue  thy  goodness  sj)eak. 
443.  Lo,  what  an  entertaining  sight. 

140.  Lord,  all  I  am  is  known  to  thee. 
257.  Lord,  how  secure  and  bless'd  are  they. 
502.  Lord,  in  the  morning  thou  shalt  hear. 
501.  Lord,  thou  wilt  hear  me  when  I  pray. 

19.  Lord,  we  are  vile,  conceived  in  sin. 
631.  Let  Sion  in  her  King  rejoice. 

45.  My  drowsy  powers,  why  sleep  ye  so. 
504.  My  God,  how  endless  is  thy  love. 
109.  My  God,  my  life,  my  love. 
381.  My  God,  my  portion,  and  my  love. 
261.  My  God,  the  spring  of  all  my  joys. 
271.  My  Saviour,  my  almighty  Friend. 
553.  O  God,  our  help  in  ages  past. 
500.  Once  more,  my  soul,  the  rising  day. 
295.  0,  'tis  delight,  without  alloy. 
190.  Plunged  in  a  gulf  of  dark  despair. 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  8*7 

264.  Praise  ye  the  Lord,  'tis  good  to  raise. 

204.  Praise  ye  the  Lord,  ye  immortal  choirs. 

267.  Salvation,  O  the  joyful  sound. 

488.  Shepherds  rejoice,  lift  up  your  eyes. 

90.  Show  pity,  Lord,  0  Lord  forgive. 

526.  Sweet  is  the  work,  my  God,  my  King. 

500.  That  awful  day  will  surely  come. 

554.  Thee  Ave  adore,  eternal  Name. 

539.  There  is  a  land  of  pure  delight. 

509.  Thus  far  the  Lord  hath  led  me  on. 

633.  The  heavens  declare  thy  glory,  Lord. 

693.  The  Lord  Jehovah  reigns. 
528.  Welcome,  sweet  day  of  rest. 
402.  When  I  can  read  my  title  clear. 

565.  Why  do  wc  mourn  for  dying  friends  1 
44.  Why  should  the  children  of  a  King? 
562.  Why  should  we  start  and  fear  to  die  ? 
379.  With  joy  we  meditate  the  grace. 
651.  What  equal  honors  shall  we  bring  1 

By  Dr.  Doddridge  : 

506.  Awake,  my  soul,  to  meet  the  day. 
661.  Eternal  Source  of  every  joy. 
673.  Father  of  all,  thy  care  we  bless. 
663.  God  of  my  life,  through  all  my  days. 
615.  Great  God,  thy  watchful  care  we  bless. 
471.  Let  Zion's  watchmen  all  awake. 

694.  Lord  of  the  sabbath,  hear  our  vows. 
682.  O  happy  day  that  fix'd  my  choice. 

677.  See  Israel's  gentle  Shepherd  stand. 
657.  Sovereign  of  all  the  worlds  on  high. 
232.  The  King  of  heaven  his  table  spreads. 

678.  The  Saviour,  when  to  heaven  he  rose. 

By  Rev.  A.  M.  Toplady  : 

609.  Rock  of  ages,  cleft  for  me. 

By  JosEni  Addison  : 

388.  The  Lord  my  pasture  shall  prepare. 
298.  The  spacious  firmanent  on  high. 


88  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGT. 

377.  When  all  thy  mercies,  0  my  God. 
75.  When  rising  from  the  bed  of  death. 

By  Rev.  John  Newton  : 

249.  How  tedious  and  tasteless  the  hours. 

387.  Though  troubles  assail,  and  dangers  affright. 

By  William  Cowper  : 

389.  God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way. 
683.  Hark,  my  soul,  it  is  the  Lord. 
89.  O,  for  a  closer  walk  with  God. 

By  Dr.  Samuel  Stennett  : 

546.  On  Jordan's  stormy  banks  I  stand. 

534.  The  counsels  of  redeeming  grace. 
571.  Thy  life  I  read,  my  gracious  Lord. 

By  Rev.  Joseph  Stennett  : 

695.  Again  our  weekly  labors  end. 
529.  Return,  my  soul,  enjoy  thy  rest. 

By  Ann  Steele  : 

668.  Almighty  Maker  of  my  frame. 

535.  Father  of  mercies,  in  thy  word. 
231.  Ye  wretched,  hungry,  starving  poor. 

By  Rev.  Robert  Robinson  : 

250.  Come,  thou  Fount  of  every  blessing. 
By  Rev.  John  Bakewell  : 

281.  Hail!  thou  once  despised  Jesus. 

By  Rev.  John  Cennick  : 

382.  Children  of  the  heavenly  King. 
380.  Jesus,  my  all,  to  heaven  is  gone. 
520.  The  Saviour  meets  his  flock  to-day. 

By  Rev.  John  Gambold  : 

260.  O  tell  me  no  more  of  this  world's  vain  store. 

By  Rev.  John  Mason  : 

507.  Now  from  the  altar  of  our  hearts. 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  89 

By  Bishop  Kenn  : 

606.  Praise  God,  from  whom  all  blessings  flow. 

By  Tate  and  Brady  : 

489.  "While  shepherds  watch'd  their  flocks  by  night. 
619.  With  glory  clad,  with  strength  array'd. 

By  Rev.  James  Merrick  : 

696.  Far  as  creation's  bounds  extend. 

By  Jane  Taylor  : 

647.  Thou  who  didst  with  love  and  blessing. 

By  Rev.  Wm.  M.  Bunting  : 

680.  0  God,  how  often  hath  thine  ear. 

By  Mrs.  Bulmer  : 

610.  Thou  who  hast  in  Sion  laid. 

By  Rev.  Thomas  Olivers  : 

270.  The  God  of  Abraham  praise. 
660.  Though  nature's  strength  decay. 

By  Rev.  Samuel  Medley  : 

200.  Hark !  how  the  gospel  trumpet  sounds. 
491.  Mortals  awake,  with  angels  join. 

By  Dr.  Fawcett  : 

452.  Blcss'd  be  the  tie  that  binds. 
20.  Sinners,  the  voice  of  God  regard. 

By  John  Dryden  : 

655.  Creator,  Spirit,  by  whose  aid. 
By  Dr.  Henry  More  : 

447.  Father,  if  justly  still  we  claim. 

458.  On  all  the  earth  thy  Spirit  shower. 

By  Bishop  Heber  : 

640.  From  Greenland's  icy  mountains. 
By  Rev.  Joseph  Hart  : 

585.  Behold  !  with  awful  pomp. 


90  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

2.  Come,  ye  sinners,  poor  and  needy. 
233.  Glory  to  God  on  high. 

76.  0  !  for  a  glance  of  heavenly  day. 
475.  Once  more  we  come  before  our  God. 
174.  Prayer  is  appointed  to  convey. 
283.  That  doleful  night  before  his  death. 
272.  This,  this  is  the  God  we  adore. 
570.  Vain  man,  thy  fond  pursuits  forbear. 

By  Rev.  William  Hammond  : 

122.  Lord,  we  come  before  thee  now. 

By  J.  Straphan  : 

645.  Mercy  descending  from  above. 

By  Maria  de  Fluery  : 

684.  Thou  sweet  gliding  Kedron,  by  thy  silver  streams. 

By  W.  Budden  : 

664.  Come,  let  our  voices  join. 

By Scott  : 

503.  See  how  the  morning  sun. 

By  Mrs.  Palmer  : 

644.  As  wave  on  wave,  years  pass  away. 

642.  Go,  holy  book,  thou  word  divine. 

639.  Listen!  O  Sion!   Jehovah  hath  spoken. 
641.  Lord,  haste  to  claim  thy  purchased  right. 

643.  The  God  of  heaven  reveals  to  man. 
624.  To  thee,  thou  high  and  lofty  One. 
685.  Thou  Fount  of  every  good  required. 
623.  Behold  thy  temple,  God  of  grace. 

By  Dr.  Kennaday  : 

611.  Great  God  !  who  laid  on  Sion's  mount. 

612.  O  Thou,  before  whose  lofty  throne. 

613.  Surely  the  Lord  is  here, 

By  Hart  and  Watts  : 

234.  Celestial  Dovo,  descend  from  high. 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGV.  91 

By  Watts  and  Wesley  : 

268.  From  all  that  dwell  below  the  skies. 
235.  My  Saviour's  pierced  side. 

By  AUTHORS  UNKNOWN  '. 

487.  All  hail !  happy  day. 

248.  Come,  thou  almighty  King. 

139.  In  boundless  mercy,  gracious  Lord,  appear. 

587.  Lord,  dismiss  us  with  thy  blessing. 

124.  My  hope,  myall,  my  Saviour  thou. 

547.  My  span  of  life  will  soon  be  done. 

273.  U  thou  God  of  my  salvation. 

391.  Peace,  troubled  soul,  thou  nccd'st  not  fear. 

The  hymns  in  the  Hymn-book  are  numbered  as  697  ; 
but  many  of  them  are  composed  of  two  or  more  parts. 
If  each  part  were  counted  as  a  separate  hymn,  (as  is 
the  case  in  the  English  Hymn-book,)  then  the  number 
would  be  considerably  increased,  and  "would  correspond 
with,  the  number  of  first  lines  in  the  "Index  to  the 
Verses."  But,  according  to  the  present  arrangement, 
the  book  does  not  contain  near  so  many  hymns  as  the 
index  indicates.  When  classified  agreeably  to  their 
respective  authors,  they  will  stand  thus : — 

John  Wesley 34 

Samuel  Wesley,  Sen 1 

Samuel  Wesley,  Jun 3 

Dr.  Watts 68 

Dr.  Doddridge 12 

Augustus  Toplady 1 

Addison 4 

John  Newton 2 

Cowper 3 

Dr.  Samuel  Stcnnett 3 

Joseph  Stennett 2 

Robert  Robinson 1 

Miss  Steele 3 


92  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

John  Bakewell 1 

John  Cennick 3 

John  Gambold 1 

John  Mason 1 

Bishop  Kenn 1 

Tate  and  Brady 2 

James  Merrick 1 

Jane  Taylor. 1 

William  M.  Bunting 1 

Mrs.  Bulmer 1 

Thomas  Olivers  . . . . 2 

Samuel  Medley 2 

Dr.  Fawcett 2 

Dryden 1 

Dr.  Henry  More 2 

Bishop  Heber 1 

Joseph  Hart 9 

William  Hammond •. 1 

J.  Straphan 1 

Marie  De  Fleury 1 

W.  Budden 1 

Scott 1 

Mrs.  Palmer 8 

Dr.  Kennaday 3 

Hart  and  Watts 1 

Watts  and  Wesley 2 

Authors  unknown 8 

Charles  Wesley 501 

697 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  93 


PART   II. 

COMPREHENDING   NOTICES   OF  THE   POETICAL  WORKS   OF 
JOHN  AND  CHARLES  WESLEY. 

In  the  year  1738,  John  and  Charles  Wesley  became 
acquainted  with  Peter  Bohler,  a  minister  of  the  Mora- 
vian Church,  from  whom  they  received  "  an  evangelical 
view  of  the  promises  of  a  free  justification  or  pardon  of 
sin,  through  the  atonement  of  Christ  alone,"  and  im- 
mediately began  to  preach  this  doctrine.  They  and  a 
few  others  now  formed  themselves  into  a  religious 
society,  which  met  in  Fetter-lane.  "  It  appears  to  have 
been  about  this  period,"  says  Mr.  Jackson,  "  that  the 
Wesleys  published  their  first  Hymn-book,  probably 
for  the  use  of  this  society,  at  its  weekly  meetings,  as 
well  as  for  private,  domestic,  and  social  use — for  they 
were  accustomed  to  devotional  singing  in  their  general 
intercourse  with  their  friends.  It  is  a  small  duodecimo 
volume  of  eighty-four  pages,  and  bears  the  title  of 
'A  Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns.  London: 
Printed  in  the  Year  MDCCXXXVIII.'  It  has  no 
printer's  name,  and  no  preface,  to  determine  its  au- 
thorship, but  its  general  cast  of  sentiment  is  exactly 
that  of  the  two  Wesleys,  just  before  they  obtained 
the  Christian  salvation.  The  hymns  are  selected 
from  various  authors,  chiefly  Dr.  Watts :  but  some  are 
original,  and  these  they  afterward  published  in  their 
joint  names.  Five  are  from  the  German,  and  one  is 
from  the  Spanish.  Most  of  these,  Mr.  John  Wesley 
subsequently  inserted  in  the  collection  which  he  form- 
ed for  the  use  of  the  Methodist  congregations," 


94  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

The  volume  here  described  the  writer  has  never  seen, 
nor  is  it  mentioned  in  the  list  of  poetical  publications  in 
the  last  volume  of  Mr.  Wesley's  Works ;  and  the  only- 
additional  information  to  the  above  he  has  been  able  to 
obtain,  is  the  incidental  allusion  to  the  Hymn-book, 
contained  in  the  following  extract  from  the  Wesleyan 
Methodist  Magazine  :*  "In  October  of  the  same  year 
(1*738)  he  (J.  Wesley)  expounded  at  three  societies  in 
Oxford,  and  was  grieved  to  find  '  prudence  had  made 
one  of  them  leave  off  singing  of  psalms.'  He  had  just 
then  published  a  small  collection  of  tiventy -three  psalms 
and  forty -six  hymns,  price  8d. ;  designed,  no  doubt,  for 
such  communities — not  having  as  yet  established  any 
separate  society  of  his  own." 

In  the  year  1739  they  published  a  volume,  bearing 
the  title,  "  Hymns  and  Sacred  Poems.  By  John  Wes- 
ley, M.  A.,  Fellow  of  Lincoln  College,  Oxford,  and 
Charles  Wesley,  M.  A.,  Student  of  Christ  Church, 
Oxford."  It  is  a  duodecimo  of  two  hundred  and 
twenty-three  pages.  The  preface  to  this  volume, 
remarks  Mr.  Jackson,  is  a  document  of  very  superior 
value,  and  distinctly  points  out  the  change  which  had 
taken  place  in  the  theological  views  of  the  writers.  They 
say :  "  Some  verses,  it  may  be  observed,  in  the  following 
collection,  were  wrote  upon  the  scheme  of  the  mystic 
divines.  And  these,  it  is  owned,  we  once  had  in 
great  veneration,  as  the  best  explainers  of  the  gospel 
of  Christ.  But  we  are  now  convinced  that  we  therein 
greatly  erred,  not  knowing  the  Scriptures,  neither  the 
power  of  God." 

*  Vol.  lxviii,  1845,  page  1076.  Art.,  "  Methodism  in  Former 
Days."    By  Thomas  Marriott,  Esq. 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  95 

This  volume  consists  principally  of  their  own  com- 
positions, with  twenty-one  translations  from  the  Ger- 
man, two  from  the  French,  one  from  the  Spanish,  and 
one  from  the  Latin.  It  also  contains  one  hymn  by 
Samuel  Wesley,  Sen.,  and  his  poem  called  "Eupolis's 
Hymn  to  the  Creator,"  which  appears  here  as  a  trans- 
lation from  the  Greek ;  but  Dr.  Clarke  thinks  this  is  a 
mistake,  as  he  has  not  been  able  to  find  the  original  in 
the  works  of  any  Greek  author  to  which  he  has  had 
access,  nor  could  his  literary  friends  give  him  any  light 
upon  the  subject.  He,  therefore,  ascribes  it  to  Mr. 
Wesley,  but  thinks  he  may  have  been  assisted  in  its 
composition  by  his  accomplished  daughter,  Mrs.  Wright. 
The  doctor  has  inserted  this  poem,  which,  he  says, 
possesses  "exquisite  merit,"  in  his  "  Wesley  Family," 
in  a  more  perfect  form  than  it  ever  appeared  before. 
Besides  those  mentioned,  there  are  twenty  poems  from 
Herbert,  six  from  Gambold,  one  from  Dr.  Hicks,  and 
one  altered  from  Dr.  Henry  More. 

There  is  a  poem  in  the  volume  which  gives  some 
idea  of  the  "  defective  creed  and  gloomy  feelings " 
of  John  and  Charles  Wesley,  or,  as  another  biographer 
of  the  brothers  expresses  it,  of  their  "  general  cast  of 
sentiment,"  just  about  the  time  they  published  their 
first  Hymn-book.  It  was  written  by  Charles  Wesley, 
is  entitled  a  "  Hymn  for  Midnight,"  and  is  here  sub- 
joined. 

"  While  midnight  shades  the  earth  o'erspread, 
And  veil  the  bosom  of  the  deep, 
Nature  reclines  her  weary  head, 

And  care  respires,  and  sorrows  sleep  : 
My  soul  still  aims  at  nobler  rest, 
Aspiring  to  her  Saviour's  breast. 


96  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

"  Aid  me,  ye  hov'ring  spirits  near, 

Angels,  and  ministers  of  grace ; 
Who  ever,  while  you  guard  us  here, 

Behold  your  heavenly  Fathers  face ! 
Gently  my  raptured  soul  convey 
To  regions  of  eternal  day. 

"  Fain  would  I  leave  this  earth  below, 

Of  pain  and  sin  the  dark  abode ; 
Where  shadowy  joy,  or  solid  woe, 

Allures  or  tears  me  from  my  God ; 
Doubtful  and  insecure  of  bliss, 
Since  death  alone  confirms  me  his. 

"  Till  then,  to  sorrow  bora,  I  sigh, 

And  gasp,  and  languish  after  home ; 
Upward  I  send  my  streaming  eye, 

Expecting  till  the  Bridegroom  come : 
Come  quickly,  Lord,  thy  own  receive ; 
Now  let  me  see  thy  face  and  live. 

"  Absent  from  thee,  my  exiled  soul, 
Deep  in  a  fleshy  dungeon  groans  ; 
Around  me  clouds  of  darkness  roll, 

And  laboring  silence  speaks  my  moans : 
Come  quickly,  Lord !  thy  face  display, 
And  look  my  darkness  into  day. 

"  Sorrow,  and  sin,  and  death,  are  o'er, 
If  thou  reverse  the  creature's  doom  : 
Sad  Rachel  weeps  her  loss  no  more, 

If  thou,  the  God,  the  Saviour  come ; 
Of  thee  possess'd,  in  thee  we  prove, 
The  light,  the  life,  the  heaven  of  love." 

To  this  fine  composition  his  brother  afterward  gave 
an  evangelical  character,  by  substituting  the  word 
"faith"  for  "death"  in  the  last  line  of  the  third 
stanza.  "  Thus  altered,  it  no  longer  appears  as  the 
desponding  language  of  a  real  Christian,  expecting  to 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  01 

be  made  free  from  sin  and  its  attendant  misery  only  by 
the  body's  dissolution  ;  but  is  the  prayer  of  a  weeping 
penitent,  who  is  convinced  of  his  guilt  and  corruption, 
and  is  looking  for  a  present  deliverance  from  them 
through  faith  in  the  blood  of  the  atonement." 

The  alteration  was  made  by  Mr.  John  Wesley,  when 
he  prepared  for  publication  his  large  Hymn-book, 
wherein  the  third  verse  of  the  poem  is  the  beginning 
of  a  hymn  which  comprises  the  remaining  stanzas,  with 
a  few  other  verbal  alterations.  This  hymn  not  being 
in  the  M.  E.  Hymn-book,  and  as  it  seems  to  illustrate 
a  very  important  epoch  in  the  lives  of  the  brothers,  and 
also  furnishes  a  fine  specimen  of  the  earlier  composi- 
tions of  Charles  Wesley,  the  writer  gives  it  entire  ;  for 
which  he  will  doubtless  receive  the  thanks  of  the 
reader.  A  number  of  other  poems  will  meet  his  eye 
during  his  perusal  of  this  work,  which  are  for  the  first 
time  presented  to  the  notice  of  American  readers. 

But  interesting  as  the  foregoing  poem  will  be  deemed 
as  a  record  of  the  religious  views  and  feelings  of  the 
brothers  a  short  time  previous  to  their  conversion ;  not 
less  so  will  be  the  following  pious  effusion  addressed 
by  Charles  to  his  brother,  just  after  he  had  experienced, 
by  faith  in  Christ,  the  evidence  of  sins  forgiven,  and  his 
adoption  into  the  family  of  heaven. 

CONGRATULATION     TO     A     FRIEND,     UPON     BELIEVING     IN 
CHRIST. 

What  morn  on  thee  with  sweeter  ray, 
Or  brighter  lustre,  e'er  hath  shined  ? 

Be  bless'd  the  memorable  day 

That  gave  thee  Jesus  Christ  to  find  : 

Gave  thee  to  taste  his  pard'ning  grace, 

From  death  to  life  in  him  to  pass  \ 
5 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

O  how  diversified  the  scene, 

Since  first  that  heart  began  to  beat ! 

Evil  and  few  thy  days  have  been ; 
In  suffering,  and  in  comfort,  great; 

Oft  hast  thou  groan'd  beneath  thy  load, 

And  sunk  into  the  arms  of  God ! 

Long  did  all  hell  its  power  engage, 
And  fill'd  thy  darken'd  soul  with  fears : 

Baffled  at  length  the  dragon's  rage, 
At  length  th'  atoning  blood  appears  : 

Thy  light  is  come,  thy  mourning  's  o'er, 

Look  up ;  for  thou  shalt  weep  no  more. 

Bless'd  be  the  Name  that  sets  thee  free, 
The  Name  that  sure  salvation  brings! 

The  Sun  of  righteousness  on  thee 
Has  rose,  with  healing  in  his  wings  : 

Away,  let  grief  and  sighing  flee ; 

Jesus  hath  died  for  thee — for  thee ! 

And  will  he  now  forsake  his  own  1 
Or  lose  the  purchase  of  his  blood  1 

No !  for  he  looks  with  pity  down, 
He  watches  over  thee  for  good ; 

Gracious  he  eyes  thee  from  above, 

And  guards  and  feeds  thee  with  his  love. 

Since  thou  wast  precious  in  his  sight, 
How  highly  favor'd  hast  thou  been ! 

Upborne  by  faith  to  glory's  height, 

The  Saviour-God  thine  eyes  have  seen, 

Thine  heart  has  felt  its  sins  forgiven, 

And  tastes  anticipated  heaven. 

Still  may  his  love  thy  fortress  be, 
And  make  thee  still  his  darling  care, 

Settle,  confirm,  and  'stablish  thee, 
On  eagle's  wings  thy  spirit  bear, 

Fill  thee  with  heavenly  joy,  and  shed 

His  choicest  blessings  on  thy  head. 


METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY.  99 

Thus  may  he  comfort  thee  below, 

Thus  may  he  all  his  graces  give : 
Him  but  in  part  thou  here  canst  know, 

Yet  here  by  faith  submit  to  live ; 
Help  me  to  fight  my  passage  through, 
Nor  seizo  thy  heaven,  till  I  may  too. 

Or  if  the  sovereign,  wise  decree, 
First  number  thee  among  the  bless'd, 

(The  only  good  I  'd  envy  thee,) 
Translating  to  an  earlier  rest ; 

Near,  in  thy  latest  hour,  may  I 

Instruct,  and  learn  of  thee  to  die. 

Mix'd  with  the  choirs  that  hover  round, 

And  all  the  adverse  powers  control, 
Angel  of  peace,  may  I  be  found 

To  animate  thy  parting  soul ; 
Point  out  the  crown,  and  smooth  the  way 
To  regions  of  eternal  day. 

Fired  with  the  thought,  I  see  thee  now 

Triumphant  meet  the  King  of  fears  ! 
Steadfast  thy  heart,  serene  thy  brow ; 

Divinely  confident  appears 
Thy  mounting  soul,  and  spreads  abroad, 
And  swells  to  be  dissolved  in  God. 

Is  this  the  soul  so  late  weigh'd  down 
By  cares  and  sins,  by  griefs  and  pains  ? 

Whither  are  all  thy  terrors  gone  ? 
Jesus  for  thee  the  vict'ry  gains  ; 

And  death,  and  sin,  and  Satan,  yield 

To  faith's  unconquerable  shield. 

Bless'd  be  the  God  that  calls  thee  home ; 

Faithful  to  thee  his  mercies  prove ; 
Through  death's  dark  vale  he  bids  thee  come, 

And  more  than  conquer  through  his  love ; 
Kobcs  thee  in  righteousness  divine, 
And  makes  thy  crown  of  glory  shine. 


100  METHODIST    HYMXOLOGY. 

Another  poem  in  the  volume  deserves  to  be  inserted 
here,  not  less  on  account  of  its  own  intrinsic  worth  as 
a  literary  performance,  than  of  the  manner  in  which  it 
has  been  referred  to  in  Southey's  Life  of  Wesley.  The 
late  Alexander  Knox,  Esq.,  in  his  "  Remarks  on  the 
Life  and  Character  of  John  Wesley,"  published  in  that 
very  interesting  but  in  many  respects  defective  work, 
says  : — 

"  Mr.  Southey  may  reasonably  ask,  on  what  ground 
I  have  thus  associated  Lucas  with  Taylor,  in  John  Wes- 
ley's early  institution?  My  answer  is,  that  a  hymn, 
which  manifests  J.  W.'s  peculiar  manner,  entitled  Zeal, 
is  to  be  found  in  his  first  volume  of  Hymns,  which, 
while  it  expresses  the  highest  soarings  of  a  morally 
ambitious  mind,  is,  from  beginning  to  end,  a  close  versi- 
fication of  a  passage  in  Lucas,  in  which,  under  the  term 
of  zeal,  the  highest  supposable  state  of  grace  on 
earth  is  vividly,  and,  I  might  say,  sublimely,  deli- 
neated."* 


Dead  as  I  am,  and  cold  my  breast, 
Untouch'd  by  thee,  celestial  zeal, 

How  shall  I  sing  th'  unwonted  guest  ? 
How  paint  the  joys  I  cannot  feel  ? 

Assist  me,  Thou,  at  whose  command 
The  heart  exults,  from  earth  set  free ! 

'Tis  thine  to  raise  the  drooping  hand, 
Thine  to  confirm  the  feeble  knee. 

'Tis  zeal  must  end  this  inward  strife, 
Give  me  to  know  that  warmth  divine ! 

Through  all  my  verse,  through  all  my  life, 
The  active  principle  shall  shine. 

*  Life  of  Wesley,  (Harper's  edition.)  vol.  ii,  p.  375. 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  101 

Where  shall  we  find  its  high  abode  3 

To  heaven  the  sacred  ray  aspires, 
"With  ardent  love  embraces  God, 

Parent  and  object  of  its  fires. 

There  its  peculiar  influence  known, 

In  breasts  seraphic  learns  to  glow ; 
Yet,  darted  from  th'  eternal  throne, 

It  sheds  a  cheering  light  below. 

Through  earth  diffused,  the  active  flame 

Intensely  for  God's  glory  burns, 
And  always  mindful  whence  it  came, 

To  heaven  in  every  wish  returns. 

Yet  vain  the  fierce  enthusiast's  aim, 

With  this  to  sanctify  his  cause ; 
To  screen  beneath  this  awful  name 

The  persecuting  sword  he  draws. 

In  vain  the  mad  fanatic's  dreams 

To  this  mysteriously  pretend  ; 
On  fancy  built  his  airy  schemes, 

Or  slight  the  means,  or  drop  the  end. 

Where  zeal  holds  on  its  even  course, 

Blind  rage  and  bigotry  retires ; 
Knowledge  assists,  not  checks  its  force, 

And  prudence  guides,  not  damps,  its  fires. 

Resistless,  then,  it  wins  its  way ; 

Yet  deigns  in  humble  hearts  to  dwell : 
Ye  humble  hearts,  confess  its  sway, 

And  pleased  the  strange  expansion  feel. 
Superior  far  to  mortal  tilings, 

In  greatful  ecstasy  they  own, — 
Such  antedated  heaven  it  brings, — 

The  zeal  and  happiness  are  one. 

Now  varied  deaths  their  terrors  spread, 
Now  threat'ning  thousands  rage — in  vain  ! 

Nor  tortures  can  arrest  its  speed, 
Nor  worlds  its  energy  restrain. 


102  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

That  energy  which  quells  the  strong, 
Which  clothes  with  strength  the  abject  weak, 

Looses  the  stammering  infant's  tongue, 
And  bids  the  sons  of  thunder  speak. 

While  zeal  its  heavenly  influence  sheds, 
What  light  o'er  Moses'  visage  plays  ! 

It  wings  th'  immortal  prophets'  steeds, 
And  brightens  fervent  Stephen's  face. 

Come,  then,  bright  flame !  my  breast  inspire  ; 

To  me,  to  me,  be  thou  but  given, 
Like  them  I  '11  mount  my  car  of  fire, 

Or  view  from  earth  an  op'ning  heaven. 

Come  thou,  if  mighty  to  redeem, 

Christ  purchased  thee  with  blood  divine  : 

Come,  holy  zeal !  for  thou,  through  him, 
Jesus  himself,  through  thee,  is  mine. 

We  are  indebted  to  the  same  volume  for  forty-nine 
hymns,  now  contained  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Hymn-book.  The  first  line  of  each  hymn,  its  number 
in  the  Hymn-book,  and  the  names  of  the  respective 
authors,  are  given  below. 

The  following  were  composed  by  Charles  Wesley : — 

287.  And  can  it  be  that  I  should  gain. 
480.  Arm  of  the  Lord,  awake,  awake ! 
118.  Being  of  beings,  God  of  love. 
365.  Come,  Holy  Ghost,  all-quick'ning  fire. 

56.  Enslaved  to  sense,  to  pleasure  prone. 
397.  Eternal  beam  of  light  divine. 

28.  Father  of  lights,  from  whom  proceeds. 

72.  Fain  would  I  go  to  thee,  my  God. 
410.  Fondly  my  foolish  heart  essays. 

71.  God  of  my  life,  what  just  return. 
265.  Glory  be  to  God  on  high. 
490.  Hark !  the  herald  angels  sincr. 


METHODIST   UYMNOLOGY.  103 

648.  Hail !  the  day  that  sees  him  rise. 
104.  Jesus,  my  Advocate  ahove. 

66.  Jesus,  the  sinner's  Friend,  to  thee. 
625.  Jesus,  my  God  and  King. 
308.  Jesus,  thou  art  our  King. 

65.  Lord,  I  despair  myself  to  heal. 
406.  Peace,  doubting  heart,  my  God's  I  am. 

649.  Sons  of  God,  triumphant  rise. 
186.  Saviour,  the  world's  and  mine. 
342.  Since  the  Son  hath  made  me  free. 
472.  Steel  me  to  shame,  reproach,  disgrace. 
197.  Where  shall  my  wond'ring  soul  begin  ? 

The  following  were  translated  from  the  German,  by 
John  Wesley  : — 

384.  Commit  thou  all  thy  griefs. 
697.  Eternal  depth  of  love  divine. 

385.  Give  to  the  winds  thy  fears. 
283.  Into  thy  gracious  hands  I  fall. 

185.  Jesus,  whose  glory's  streaming  rays. 

354.  Jesus,  to  thee  my  heart  I  bow. 

321.  Jesus,  thy  boundless  love  to  me. 

285.  Lo  !  God  is  here,  let  us  adore. 

321.  My  Saviour,  thou  thy  love  to  me.  (2d  part.) 

74.  My  soul  before  Thee  prostrate  lies. 
373.  0  God,  what  offering  shall  I  give  ? 
170.  O  Thou,  who  all  things  canst  control. 
116.  O  Thou,  to  whose  all-searching  sight. 
205.  O  God  of  good,  th'  unfathom'd  sea. 
207.  O  God,  thou  bottomless  abyss. 
335.  O  Jesus,  source  of  calm  repose. 
463.  Saviour  of  men,  thy  searching  eye. 
462.  Shall  I,  for  fear  of  feeble  man. 
304.  Thou  hidden  love  of  God,  whose  height. 
396.  Thou  Lamb  of  God,  thou  Prince  of  peace. 
244.  Thee  will  I  love,  my  strength,  my  tower. 
207.  Thou  true  and  only  God,lead'st  forth.  (2d  part.) 


104  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

The  next  two  are  also  translations  by  the  same  hand, 
the  first  from  the  Spanish,  the  second  from  the  French : 

510.  O  God,  my  God,  my  all  thou  art. 
301.  Come,  Saviour,  Jesus,  from  above. 

The  following  two  are  altered  from  Dr.  Henry- 
More  : — 

457.  Father,  if  justly  still  we  claim. 

458.  On  all  the  earth  thy  Spirit  shower. 

The  hymn  by  Mr.  Samuel  Wesley,  Senior,  com- 
mences : — 

188.  Behold  the  Saviour  of  mankind,  &c. 

Besides  the  above,  in  this  work  were  first  published 
the  four  hymns  in  the  Hymn-book  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South,  commencing, 

"  And  live  I  yet  by  power  divine  ?" 
"  Christ,  the  Lord,  is  risen  to-day." 
"  Sons  of  God,  exulting  rise." 
"  Lord  and  God  of  heavenly  powers." 

Also,  the  seven  hymns  in  the  Hymn-book  used  by 
the  Wesleyan  Methodist  Church  in  England,  Canada, 
and  its  numerous  missions  throughout  the  world,  by 
the  Rev.  Charles  Wesley  : — 

"  Arise,  my  soul,  arise,  Thy  Saviour,"  &c. 

"  Fain  would  I  leave  this  earth  below." 

"  High  above  every  name." 

"  My  God,  if  I  may  call  thee  mine." 

"  O  filial  Deity." 

"  Summon'dmy  labor  to  renew." 

"  Thee,  0  my  God  and  King." 

And  the  following  two,  by  the  Rev.  John  Wesley, 
translated  from  the  German : — 

"  Thou  true  and  only  God,  lead'st  forth." 
"  O  God  of  gods,  in  whom  combine." 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  105 

The  volume  under  notice  was  republished  the  same 
year  (1739)  in  an  abridged  form,  with  the  same  title  ; 
the  preface  and  many  of  the  poems  being  omitted. 
The  abridgment  has  100  pages  ;  the  original  work  223. 
There  were  eight  poems  inserted  in  the  abridgment 
thai  were  not  in  the  first  edition  of  the  larger  volume, 
three  of  which  were  inserted  in  subsequent  editions  of 
that  work,  and  four  more  in  another  work  bearing  the 
same  title,  and  published  the  following  year ;  so  that 
the  abridgment  in  reality  contains  but  one  poem  not 
found  in  some  one  or  other  of  the  volumes  just  men- 
tioned, and  that  is  a  short  one  of  twenty-four  lines  from 
Herbert,  entitled  "A  Single  Eye."  In  the  list  of  the 
Rev.  Messrs.  John  and  Charles  Wesley's  poetical  pub- 
lications in  the  seventh  volume  of  Mr.  J.  Wesley's 
Works,  page  593,  the  abridgment  appears  as  No.  II. 
This  list  was  compiled  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Jackson  while 
editing  the  complete  standard  English  edition  of  Mr. 
Wesley's  Works,  (from  which  the  American  edition  was 
republished.)  in  the  year  1831  ;  and  ten  years  later, 
when  wilting  the  Life  of  the  Rev.  Charles  Wesley,  he 
seems  still  to  be  under  the  mistaken  impression  that 
the  volume  of  hymns  published  in  the  year  1739,  and 
the  abridgment  of  that  work  the  same  year,  were  two 
distinct  works,  as  will  appear  from  the  following 
extract.  The  author  is  speaking  of  the  "sweetness 
and  power  of  the  singing  "  of  early  Methodists  in  their 
religious  meetings:  "This,"  says  he,  "was  a  part  of 
divine  worship  in  which  the  brothers  took  a  lively  in- 
terest from  the  beginning  of  their  public  labors  ;  and 
as  they  both  possessed  the  gift  and  spirit  of  sacred 
poetry,  they  applied  themselves  to  the  composition  of 
hymns  adapted  to  the  use  and  edification  of  those  who 
5* 


106  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

united  with  them  in  the  worship  of  God.  Soon  after 
their  return  from  Georgia,  as  we  have  already  seen, 
they  published  a  volume  of  hymns  for  this  purpose ; 
and  this  year  they  added  two  others  of  a  similar  kind, 
but  more  varied  in  their  subjects,  and  more  evangelical 
in  their  character.  To  both  these  volumes  they  gave 
the  same  title  :  '  Hymns  and  Sacred  Poems.  Published 
by  John  Wesley,  M.  A.,  Fellow  of  Lincoln  College, 
Oxford  ;  and  Charles  Wesley,  M.  A.,  Student  of  Christ 
Church,  Oxford.'  They  were  'printed  by  W.  Strahan,' 
and  sold  by  their  friend  '  James  Hutton,  bookseller,  at 
the  Bible  and  Sun,  without  Temple  Bar;  and  at  Mr. 
Bray's,  in  Little  Britain.'  Such  was  the  demand  for 
these  volumes,  that  one  of  them  passed  to  a  second  edi- 
tion the  same  year ;  and  the  other  to  a  third.  That 
which  appears  to  have  been  first  published  begins  with 
'Eupolis  his  Hymn  to  the  Creator,'  written  by  the 
rector  of  Ep worth." 

The  "  other  "  volume,  alluded  to  above,  was  merely  an 
abridgment  of  the  same  work.  Both  the  larger  work 
and  the  abridgment  are  before  the  writer ;  hence  there 
can  be  no  mistake,  on  his  part,  in  reference  to  what  is 
here  stated. 

During  the  year  1*740  the  two  Wesleys  issued  a 
third  volume*  of  hymns  by  no  means  inferior  to  its 
predecessor  in  poetic  excellence,  or  Christian  character, 
and  its  title  is  the  same  as  that  work  bears,  namely, 
"  Hymns  and  Sacred  Poems,"  and  contains  para- 
phrases of  the  55th  chapter  of  Isaiah,  and  the  11th 

*  In  the  year  1743  this  and  the  preceding  volume  of  hymns 
were  reprinted  and  bound  together  so  as  to  form  one  volume. 
The  "  fifth  edition"  was  published  in  1756. 


METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY.  107 

chapter  of  St,  Paul's  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews;  six 
admirable  translations  from  the  German,  undoubtedly 
from  the  pen  of  John ;  and  four  hymns,  all  of  which 
were  probably  addressed  to  Mr.  Whitefield,  entitled, 
"  To  the  Rev.  Mr.  Whitefield,"—"  To  the  same  before 
his  Voyage," — "  A  Hymn  to  be  sung  at  Sea," — "  In  a 
Storm." 

The  volume  also  comprises  a  fine  hymn  "  For  the 
Kings  wood  Colliers  ;"  and  another  for  "The  Anniver- 
sary of  One's  Conversion,"  from  which  was  taken  the 
hymn  in  our  collection,  commencing, 

"  0  for  a  thousand  tongues  to  sing," 

which  originally  had  eighteen  stanzas.  But  the  most 
remarkable  hymn  in  the  volume,  says  Mr.  Jackson,  is 
one  entitled,  "The  Just  shall  live  by  Faith,"  which  de- 
scribes Charles  Wesley's  religious  history  up  to  this 
period  of  his  life.  It  contains  twenty-two  verses,  and 
is  given  in  the  English  edition  of  his  Life,  and  would  be 
inserted  here  entire  were  it  not  for  its  great  length. 
Some  extracts,  however,  will  doubtless  be  acceptable 
to  the  reader  : — 

"  For  ten  long  legal  years  I  lay 
A  helpless,  though  reluctant,  prey 

To  pride,  and  lust,  and  earth,  and  hell : 
Oft  to  repentance  vain  rcnew'd, 
Self-confident  for  hours  I  stood, 
And  fell,  and  grieved,  and  rose,  and  fell. 
*  *  *  # 

"  Hardly  at  last  I  all  gave  o'er, 
I  sought  to  free  myself  no  more, 

Too  weak  to  burst  the  fowler's  snare  ; 
Baffled  by  twice  ten  thousand  foils, 
I  ceased  to  struggle  in  the  toils, 
And  yielded  to  a  just  despair. 


108  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

"  'Twas  then  my  soul  beheld  from  far 
The  glimm'ring  of  an  orient  star, 

That  pierced  and  cheer'd  my  nature's  night : 
Sweetly  it  dawn'd,  and  promised  day, 
Sorrow  and  sin  it  chased  away, 

And  open'd  into  glorious  light. 

"  With  other  eyes  I  now  could  see 
The  Father  reconciled  to  me, 

Jesus,  the  Just,  had  satisfied ; 
Jesus  had  made  my  sufferings  his, 
Jesus  was  now  my  righteousness, 
Jesus  for  me  had  lived  and  died. 

*  #  *  * 

"  Convinced  my  work  was  but  begun, 
How  did  I  strive,  and  grieve,  and  groan  ! 

Half  yielded,  yet  refused  to  yield ! 
Tempted  to  give  my  Saviour  up — 
Deny  my  Lord,  abjure  my  hope, 

And  basely  cast  away  my  shield. 

*  #  *  * 

"  But  0  !  his  tyranny  is  o'er ! 
How  shall  my  rescued  soul  adore 

Thy  strange,  thy  unexampled  grace  ! 
A  brand  pluck'd  from  the  fire  I  am ! 
O  Saviour,  help  me  to  proclaim, 

Help  me  to  show  forth  all  thy  praise !" 

Some  of  the  hymns  in  this  volume,  observes  Mr. 
Jackson,  are  among  the  finest  in  the  English  language, 
and  display  a  deep  pathos,  with  all  the  energy  and. 
daring  of  Charles's  genius.  The  following  hymn,  de- 
scribing a  storm  at  sea,  exhibits  the  writer's  mighty 
faith  and  power  of  expression.  It  was  addressed  to 
Mr.  Whitefield,  on  his  embarking  a  second  time  for 
America : — 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  109 

"  Glory  to  Thee,  whose  powerful  word 
Bids  the  tempestuous  winds  arise : 
Glory  to  thee,  the  sovereign  Lord 
Of  air,  and  earth,  and  seas,  and  skies ! 

"  Let  air,  and  earth,  and  skies,  ohey, 
And  seas  thine  awful  will  perform  : 
From  them  we  learn  to  own  Thy  sway, 
And  shout  to  meet  the  gath'ring  storm. 

"  What  though  the  floods  lift  up  their  voice, 
Thou  hearest,  Lord,  our  louder  cry : 
They  cannot  damp  thy  children's  joys, 
Or  shake  the  soul,  when  God  is  nigh. 

"  Headlong  we  cleave  the  yawning  deep, 
And  hack  to  highest  heaven  are  borne, 
Unmoved,  though  rapid  whirlwinds  sweep, 
And  all  the  wat'ry  world  upturn. 

"Roar  on,  ye  waves  !  our  soul  defy 
Your  roaring  to  disturb  our  rest ; 
In  vain  t'  impair  the  calm  ye  try, 
The  calm  in  a  believer's  breast. 

"  Rage,  while  our  faith  the  Saviour  tries, 
Thou  sea,  the  servant  of  his  will ; 
Rise,  while  our  God  permits  thee  rise  : 
But'fall  when  he  shall  say,  Be  still  /" 

It  is  to  this  volume  that  Mr.  Whitefield  alludes  in  a 
letter  to  C.  Wesley,  written  on  his  voyage  to  America, 
dated  Feb.  1st,  1741,  wherein  he  says:  "My  dear 
brethren,  why  did  you  throw  out  that  bone  of  conten- 
tion ?  Why  did  you  [John]  print  that  sermon  against 
predestination  ?  Why  did  you,  in  particular,  my  dear 
Charles,  affix  your  hymn,  and  join  in  putting  out  your 
late  Hymn-book  ?  How  can  you  say  you  will  not  dis- 
pute with  me  about  election,  and  yet  print  such  hymns  ?" 
In  his  celebrated  "  Letter  to  Rev.  J.  Wesley,"  he  writes 
thus  :  "  Instead  of  pawning  your  salvation,  as  you  have 


110  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

done,  in  a  late  Hymn-book,  if  the  doctrine  of  universal 
redemption  be  not  true  ;  instead  of  talking  of  sinless 
perfection,  as  you  have  done  in  the  preface  to  that 
Hymn-book,  and  making  man's  salvation  depend  upon 
his  own  free  will,  as  you  have  in  this  sermon ;  you  will 
compose  a  hymn  in  praise  of  sovereign,  distinguishing 
love.  You  will  caution  believers  against  striving  to 
work  a  perfection  out  of  their  own  hearts,  and  print 
another  sermon  the  reverse  of  this,  and  entitle  it  Free 
Grace  indeed— -free,  not  because  free  to  all,  but  free, 
because  God  may  withhold  or  give  it  to  whom  and 
when  he  pleases."  This  will  be  new  doctrine  to  Me- 
thodist readers. 

The  hymn  of  C.  Wesley,  referred  to  by  Mr.  White- 
field,  comprises  thirty-six  stanzas,  which  he  poured 
forth  in  the  fullness  of  his  heart  in  praise  of  God's 
universal  love  to  man.  The  following  five  stanzas  are  a 
specimen  of  this  very  spirited  poem  : — 

"  Stir  up  thy  strength,  and  help  us,  Lord, 
The  preachers  multiply; 
Send  forth  thy  light,  and  give  thy  word, 
And  let  the  shadows  fly. 

"  O,  if  thy  Spirit  send  forth  me, 
The  meanest  of  the  throng, 
I'll  sing  thy  grace  divinely  free, 
And  teach  mankind  the  song. 

"  Grace  will  I  sing,  through  Jesus'  name, 
On  all  mankind  hestow'd ; 
The  everlasting  truth  proclaim, 
And  seal  that  truth  with  blood. 

"  Come,  then,  thou  all-embracing  Love, 
Our  frozen  bosoms  warm ; 
Dilating  fire,  within  us  move, 

"With  truth  and  meekness  arm. 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  Ill 

"  Let  us  triumphantly  ride  on, 

And  more  than  conq'rors  prove, 

With  meekness  bear  th'  opposers  down, 

And  hind  with  cords  of  love  !" 

The  following  hymns,  in  the  Methodist  Hymn-book, 
by  C.  Wesley,  appeared  originally  in  this  volume  : — 

67.  And  can  I  yet  delay  ?  (2d  pt.) 
176.  Author  of  faith,  eternal  Word. 
592.  Abraham,  when  severely  tried. 

62.  And  wilt  Thou  yet  be  found  1 

420.  Come,  thou  high  and  lofty  Lord.  (2d  pt.) 

531.  Come,  Holy  Ghost,  our  hearts  inspire. 
361.  Come,  Holy  Ghost,  all-quick'ning  fire. 
420.  Come,  and  let  us  sweetly  join. 

447.  Christ,  from  whom  all  blessings  flow. 

92.  Depth  of  mercy  !  can  there  be. 
626.  Earth,  rejoice,  our  Lord  is  King. 

305.  Tor  ever  here  my  rest  shall  be. 

532.  Father  of  all,  in  whom  alone. 

483.  Glory  to  God,  whose  sovereign  grace. 
386.  God  of  my  life,  whose  gracious  power. 
446.  Giver  of  concord,  Prince  of  peace. 

12.  Ho  !  every  one  that  thirsts,  draw  nigh. 
333.  Heavenly  Father,  sovereign  Lord. 
383.  How  do  thy  miseries  close  me  round. 
670.  Infinite  God,  thy  greatness  spann'd.  (2d  pt.) 
367.  I  want  the  Spirit  of  power  within. 

33.  Jesus,  if  still  the  same  thou  art. 

68.  Jesus,  Eedeemer,  Saviour,  Lord.  (2d  pt.) 
125.  Jesus,  the  all-restoring  Word. 

60.  Jesus,  in  whom  the  weary  find. 
35.  Jesus,  lover  of  my  soul. 

63.  Jesus,  if  still  thou  art  to-day. 

353.  Jesus,  in  whom  the  Godhead's  rays. 

306.  Jesus,  my  life,  thyself  apply. 
670.  Lord  of  the  wide,  extensive  main. 

1.  Look  unto  Him,  ye  nations  ;  own.  (2d  pt.) 
420.  Let  us  join,  'tis  God  commands.  (3d  pt.) 


112  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

79.  Lone,-  have  I  seem'd  to  serve  thee,  Lord. 
323.  Lord,  I  believe  a  rest  remains. 

26.  My  sufferings  all  to  thee  are  known. 

73.  My  God,  my  God,  to  thee  I  cry. 
318.  My  God  I  know,  I  feel,  thee  mine. 

68.  O  that  thou  wouldst  the  heavens  rent. 
1 .  O  for  a  thousand  tongues  to  sing. 

97.  O  why  did  I  my  Saviour  leave. 
420.  Partners  of  a  glorious  hope.  (4th  pt.) 

81.  Still  for  thy  loving  kindness,  Lord. 
241.  Talk  with  us,  Lord,  thyself  reveal. 
175.  Thou,  Lord,  hast  bless'd  my  going  out. 

63.  While  dead  in  trespasses  I  lie.  (2d  pt.) 
333.  Where  the  ancient  dragon  lay.  (2d  part.) 

67.  When  shall  thy  love  constrain. 
359.  When  shall  I  see  the  welcome  hour. 

34.  Wherewith,  0  God,  shall  I  draw  near. 

The   following,  translations   from   the   German,  by 
John  Wesley : — 

193.  Extended  on  a  cursed  tree. 

307.  Holy  Lamb,  who  thee  receive. 

110.  I  thirst,  thou  wounded  Lamb  of  God. 

289.  Jesus,  thy  blood  and  righteousness. 

399.  Now  I  have  found  the  ground  wherein. 

Also,  three  hymns  in  the  Hymn-book  of  the  M.  E. 
Church,  South,  by  C.  Wesley  :— 

"  Brethren  in  Christ,  and  well-beloved." 
"  Glory  to  Thee,  whose  powerful  word." 
"  0  disclose  thy  lovely  face." 

And  the  following,  in  the  Wesleyan  Hymn-book,  by 
0.  Wesley : — 

';  Author  of  faith,  appear." 
"  Christ,  our  Head,  gone  up  on  high." 
"  Father,  Son,  and  Spirit,  hear." 
"  Other  ground  can  no  man  lay." 
"  Regardless  now  of  things  below." 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  113 

The  preface  to  this  volume  contains,  says  Mr.  Wes- 
ley, "  the  strongest  account  we  ever  gave  of  Christian 
perfection."  Some  expressions  he  afterward  considered 
far  too  strong,  which  are  corrected  and  qualified  in  the 
fifth  volume  of  his  works,  page  492,  where  a  part  of 
the  preface  is  quoted. 

In  the  year  1742  there  appeared  a  fourth  volume 
of  hymns  bearing  the  same  title  as  two  which  preceded 
it,  namely,  "Hymns  and  Sacred  Poems,"  by  John  and 
Charles  Wesley,  though  nearly  the  whole  contents  were 
undoubtedly  the  productions  of  Charles.  It  passed  to 
a  second  edition  in  1*745.  A  copy  of  each  edition  now 
lies  before  the  writer.  The  work  is  exceedingly  scarce, 
and  is  seldom  seen  even  in  England ;  it  contains  over 
three  hundred  pages,  and  is  certainly  not  inferior  in 
poetic  merit  to  any  of  the  numerous  poetical  works  pub- 
lished by  the  brothers.  Its  contribution  to  the  stock 
of  standard  Methodist  hymns  is  greater  than  that  of 
any  other  single  volume  of  their  poetry,  being  over  one 
hundred,  among  which  is  that  highly  admired  poem,  so 
well  known  by  the  title  of  "  Wrestling  Jacob,"  com- 
mencing, 

"  Come,  0  thou  Traveler  unknown." 

The  entire  volume  is  rich  in  poetry  and  Christian  ex- 
perience. It  contains  paraphrases  of  the  fortieth  and 
sixty-third  chapters  of  Isaiah,  two  dialogues  between 
"  Angels  and  Men,"  seven  "  Hymns  for  Children,"  one 
of  which,  commencing, — 

"  Gentle  Jesus,  meek  and  mild, 
Look  upon  a  little  child,'' 

is  well  known  and  much  admired ;  also  that  noble  para- 


114  METHODIST    HYMNOLGY. 

phrase  of  the  Lord's  prayer,  by  the  Rev.  John  Wesley, 
which  is  hymn  476  of  our  collection,  and  a  trans- 
lation of  a  German  hymn  of  considerable  length,  which 
shows,  says  Mr.  Jackson,  that  although  the  brothers 
no  longer  held  their  former  intercourse  with  the  Mora- 
vian Church  in  England,  because  of  the  errors  which 
Molther  introduced,  and  Count  Zinzendorf  defended,  and 
mixed  with  others  equally  dangerous,  they  still  cherish- 
ed toward  the  genuine  members  of  that  community  the 
most  cordial  esteem  and  love.  The  subjoined  stanzas 
are  a  proof  of  this  : — 

"  He  prospers  all  his  servants'  toils, 

But  of  peculiar  grace  has  chose 
A  flock  on  whom  his  kindest  smiles, 

And  choicest  blessings,  he  bestows  ; 
Devoted  to  their  common  Lord, 

True  followers  of  the  bleeding  Lamb, 
By  God  beloved,  by  men  abhorr'd, 

And  Hernhuth  is  the  favorite  name ! 

"  Here  many  a  faithful  soul  is  found, 

With  mystic  power  of  love  endued, 
Full  of  the  light  of  life,  and  crown'd 

A  king  and  priest  to  serve  his  God  j 
With  flaming  zeal  for  Christ  they  shine, 

Their  body,  soul,  and  spirit,  give, 
To  Christ  their  goods  and  blood  resign, 

For  Christ  they  freely  die  and  live." 

These  two  verses  are  part  of  the  excellent  hymn, — 
"  High  on  his  everlasting  throne,"  &c. 

The  hymn  in  the  English  Hymn-book,  beginning, 
"What  shall  we  offer  our  good  Lord?"  is  part  of 
the  same  composition :  but  the  translation  was  cer- 
tainly made  by  John  Wesley ;  although  Mr.  La  Trobe, 


METHODIST    HYMN0L0GY.  116 

editor  of  the  English  edition  of  the  Life  of  Zinzen- 
dorf,  says,  it  may  admit  of  question  whether  that  fine 
hymn  "  was  translated  by  one  of  the  Wesleys,  or  by 
Gambold." 

The  following  hymns  are  from  this  very  valuable 
volume : — 

80.  A  goodly,  formal  saint.  (2d  part.) 
390.  Away,  my  unbelieving  fear. 

11.  Awake,  Jerusalem,  awake. 
329.  An  inward  baptism  of  pure  fire. 
179.  AiiiC,  my  soul,  arise. 
561.  Blessing,  bonor,  tbanks,  and  praise. 
428.  Bless'd  be  the  dear  uniting  love. 

459.  Comfort,  ye  ministers  of  grace. 

337.  Come,  Lord,  and  claim  me  for  thine  own. 

77.  Come,  0  thou  Traveler  unknown 
357.  Come,  O  thou  greater  than  our  heart. 
654.  Come,  Holy  Spirit,  raise  our  songs. 

43.  Drooping  soul,  shake  off  thy  fears. 
461.  Draw  near,  0  Son  of  God,  draw  near. 
320.  Ever  fainting  with  desire. 
476.  Eternal,  spotless,  Lamb  of  God.  (3d  part.) 
341.  Father,  supply  our  every  need.  (2d  part.) 
360.  Fountain  of  life  and  all  my  joy. 
136.  Fountain  of  life  to  all  below. 
417.  Father  of  our  dying  Lord. 
362.  Father  of  Jesus  Christ,  my  Lord. 
476.  Father  of  all.  whose  powerful  voice. 
498.  Giver  and  guardian  of  my  sleep. 
107.  God  of  my  salvation,  hear. 
297.  God  of  Israel's  faithful  three. 
341.  God  of  all  power,  and  truth,  and  grace. 
433.  Glory  be  to  God  above. 
564.  Hark  !  a  voice  divides  the  sky. 
173.  Harkcn  to  the  solemn  voice. 
482.  Happy  soul,  who  sees  the  day. 

460.  High  on  His  everlasting  throne.  (German.) 
341.  Holy,  and  true,  and  righteous  Lord.  (3d  part.) 


116  METHODIST    HYMNQLOGY. 

332.  I  know  that  my  Kedeemer  lives, 
355.  If  now  I  have  acceptance  found. 

93.  I  will  hearken  what  my  Lord. 
221.  Jesus,  at  whose  supreme  command. 
582.  Jesus,  faithful  to  his  word. 
294.  Jesus  is  our  common  Lord. 

83.  Jesus,  Friend  of  sinners,  hear. 
418.  Jesus,  united  by  thy  grace. 
321.  Jesus  hath  died  that  I  might  live. 
242.  Jesus,  to  thee  I  now  can  fly. 
156.  Jesus,  my  strength,  my  hope. 
146.  Jesus,  thou  hast  bid  us  pray. 
158.  Jesus,  my  Saviour,  Brother,  Friend. 
596.  Jesus,  shall  I  never  be. 
336.  Jesus,  the  life,  the  truth,  the  way. 

454.  Jesus,  thy  wand'ring  sheep  behold. 
24.  Lamb  of  God,  for  sinners  slain. 
85.  Lord,  and  is  thine  anger  gone. 

309.  Lord  I  believe  thy  every  word. 
31.  Let  the  world  their  virtue  boast. 

455.  Lord  of  the  harvest,  hear. 

600.  Lay  too  thy  hand,  0  God  of  grace. 
334.  Loving  Jesus,  gentle  Lamb. 

80.  My  gracious,  loving  Lord. 
345.  None  is  like  Jeshurun's  God. 
195.  0  thou  dear  suffering  Son  of  God. 

368.  O  Love,  I  languish  at  thy  stay. 
187.  0  Love  divine,  what  hast  thou  done. 
303.  0  for  a  heart  to  praise  my  God. 
113.  0  Almighty  God  of  love. 

88.  O  that  I  were  as  heretofore. 
311.  O  that  my  load  of  sin  were  gone. 

78.  O  Thou  whom  fain  my  soul  would  love. 
282.  0  what  shall  I  do  my  Saviour  to  praise. 
237.  O  heavenly  King,  look  down  from  above. 
1 64.  Oft  have  we  pass'd  the  guilty  night. 
137.  O  Thou,  whom  all  thy  saints  adore. 
279.  Oft  I  in  my  heart  have  said. 

369.  O  great  Mountain,  who  art  thou  ? 
300.  O  Jesus  !  full  of  truth  and  grace. 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOUY.  117 

331.  0  glorious  hope  of  perfect  love. 
324.  O  joyful  sound  of  gospel  grace. 
422.  Peace  be  on  this  house  bestow'd. 
163.  Pierce,  fill  me  with  an  humble  fear. 
370.  Pris'ncrs  of  hope,  lift  up  your  heads. 

69.  Pris'ner  of  hope,  to  Thee  I  turn.  (2d  part.) 
476.  Son  of  thy  Sire's  eternal  love.  (2d  part.) 

84.  Son  of  God,  if  thy  free  grace. 
328.  Saviour  from  sin,  I  wait  to  prove. 
138.  Say  which  of  you  would  see  the  Lord. 
440.  Saviour  of  all,  to  thee  we  bow. 
415.  Try  us,  0  God,  and  search  the  ground. 
165.  Thy  presence,  Lord,  the  place  shall  fill. 

41.  To  the  haven  of  thy  breast. 

69.  Thee,  Jesus,  thee,  the  sinner  s  Friend. 
464.  The  Lord  is  King,  and  earth  submits. 
438.  Unchangeable,  Almighty  Lord. 
378.  Vain,  delusive  world,  adieu. 

57.  Wretched,  helpless,  and  distress'd. 
352.  When,  my  Saviour,  shall  1  be. 
595.  Who  is  this  gigantic  foe? 

126.  When,  gracious  Lord,  when  shall  it  be. 

127.  Whom  man  forsakes  Thou  wilt  not  leave. 
369.  Who  hath  slighted  or  contemn'd.  (2d  part.) 
344.  What  is  our  calling's  glorious  hope. 

194.  Ye  that  pass  by,  behold  the  Man. 
251.  Ye  ransonrd  sinners,  hear. 
77.  Yield  to  me  now,  for  I  am  weak.  (2d  part.) 

And  two  in  the  Hymn-book  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  South : — 

"  God  of  unspotted  purity." 

"  O  let  us  our  own  works  forsake." 

The  following,  in  the  Wesleyan  Hymn-book,  are  from 
the  same  prolific  source  : — 

"  Be  it  according  to  thy  word." 
«  Comfort,  ye  ministers  of  grace." 


118  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

"  God  of  Daniel,  "hear  my  prayer." 

"  I  soon  shall  hear  thy  quick'ning  voice." 

"  I  know  that  my  Redeemer  lives,  He  lives." 

"  Jesus,  my  King,  to  thee  I  bow." 

"  Jesus,  thou  know'st  my  sinfulness." 

"  Jesus,  take  my  sins  away." 

f:  Lord,  regard  my  earnest  cry." 

"  My  Father,  my  God,  I  long  for  thy  love." 

"  0  might  I  this  moment  cease." 

"  0  my  Lord,  what  must  I  do." 

"  Omnipotent  Lord,  my  Saviour  and  King." 

"  O  God  of  my  salvation,  hear." 

"  Sinners,  your  hearts  lift  up." 

"  The  Lord  unto  my  Lord  hath  said." 

"  What  can  Ave  offer  our  good  Lord." 

"  What  shall  I  do  my  God  to  serve." 

"  Woe  is  me,  what  tongue  can  tell." 

There  were  united  to  the  first  society  of  Methodists, 
so  called,  which  held  its  meetings  in  the  Chapel  in  Fet- 
ter-lane, London,  a  number  of  the  nobility,  several  of 
whom  were  ladies,  belonging  to  one  of  the  most  ancient, 
and,  in  the  best  sense  of  the  term,  noble  families  of  Great 
"Britain.  "  From  motives  of  curiosity,"  says  the  biogra- 
pher of  the  countess  of  Huntingdon,  "  some  of  the  Ladies 
Hastings  (sisters  of  Lord  Huntingdon)  were  induced  to 
attend  the  preaching  of  the  first  Methodists,  and  there 
the  Lord  met  them  with  blessings  of  his  grace."  They 
soon  joined  themselves  to  the  despised  people  of  God, 
"  and  never  appeared  to  be  ashamed  to  own  whose 
they  were,  or  whom  they  served."  Lady  Margaret 
Hastings  was  the  first  who  received  the  truth  as  it  is 
in  Jesus ;  and  the  Lord  was  pleased  to  make  her  the 
honored  instrument  of  Lady  Huntingdon's  conversion, 
as  well  as  many  of  her  family  and  friends.  The  con- 
version of  the  coimtess  took  place  during  a  dangerous 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  119 

illness,  in  which  the  fear  of  death  terribly  distressed 
her.  In  this  condition  she  saw  herself  a  miserable 
sinner,  and  was  convinced  that  the  strict  morality  of 
her  conduct,  for  which  from  her  youth  she  had  always 
been  distinguished,  was  altogether  insufficient  to  pro- 
cure for  her  that  permanent  peace  which  was  now  the 
all-absorbing  desire  of  her  soul.  She  had  heard  Lady 
Margaret  say,  "  that  since  she  had  known  and  believed 
in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  for  life  and  salvation,  she  had 
been  as  happy  as  an  angel :"  now  the  words  returned 
strongly  to  her  recollection  ;  she  felt  an  earnest  desire 
to  cast  herself  wholly  upon  Christ,  and  from  her  bed 
she  lifted  up  her  heart  to  her  Saviour,  renouncing  every 
other  hope,  and  immediately  her  burdened  soul  was  re- 
lieved of  its  load,  and  she  was  filled  with  peace  and  joy 
in  believing.  Her  disorder,  says  her  biographer,  from 
that  moment  took  a  favorable  turn,  and  she  was  re- 
stored to  perfect  health.  She  sent  a  message  to  John 
and  Charles  Wesley,  who  were  then  preaching  in  the 
neighborhood,  professing  to  be  one  with  them  in  heart, 
and  assuring  them  of  her  determination  to  live  and  die 
a  follower  of  Jesus  Christ. 

The  friendship  which  thus  commenced,  in  the  year 
1*738,  between  Mr.  Wesley  and  Lady  Huntingdon,  al- 
though purely  religious,  was  of  the  most  intimate  and 
unreserved  character.  "  At  this  period,"  remarks  the 
biographer  before  referred  to,  "  Mr.  Wesley's  visits  at 
Donnington  Park  were  very  frequent ;  Lady  Hunting- 
don having  a  very  sincere  esteem  for  him,  and  they 
were  much  united  in  sentiments  of  a  theological  nature. 
Easy  and  affable  in  his  demeanor,  he  accommodated 
himself  to  every  society,  and  showed  how  happily  the 
most  finished  courtesy  may  be  blended  with  the  most 


120  METHODIST   HTMNOLOGY. 

perfect  piety.  In  his  conversation  we  might  be  at  a 
loss  which  to  admire  most,  his  fine  classical  taste,  his 
extensive  knowledge  of  men  and  things,  or  his  over- 
flowing goodness  of  heart.  While  the  grave  and  se- 
rious were  charmed  with  his  wisdom,  his  sportive  sal- 
lies of  innocent  mirth  delighted  even  the  young  and 
thoughtless ;  and  both  saw,  in  his  uninterrupted  cheer- 
fulness, the  excellency  of  true  religion." 

The  intimacy  thus  existing  between  Mr.  John  Wesley 
and  the  countess  was  brought  about  on  her  part  by  a 
desire  to  receive  spiritual  benefit  from  one  whom  she 
considered  competent  to  instruct  her,  and  altogether 
worthy  of  her  distinguished  consideration.  And  it  is 
an  interesting  fact  that  Mr.  Wesley,  before  publishing 
some  of  his  earlier  journals,  submitted  them  to  the  in- 
spection of  her  ladyship,  whose  approbation  was  un- 
qualified, and  she  strongly  urged  him  to  hasten  their 
publication.  This  friendship  led  to  mutual  efforts  to 
convey  similar  instruction  to  the  hearts  and  minds  of 
their  countrymen.  And  it  is  not  surprising  that  among 
the  various  means  used  to  acoomplish  their  pious  and 
praiseworthy  purposes,  their  thoughts  should  be  di- 
rected to  the  purification  of  the  streams  of  knowledge 
conveyed  through  the  current  literature  of  the  day,  the 
generally  immoral  and  pernicious  character  and  ten- 
dency of  which  they  alike  saw  and  deplored.  The 
attention  of  the  countess,  it  seems,  was  directed  more 
especially  to  the  department  of  poetry,  much  of  which 
was  prostituted  to  the  vilest  ends,  and  she  expressed  a 
desire  to  see  such  a  collection  of  the  works  of  the  prin- 
cipal English  poets  as  should  be  in  accordance  with  re- 
fined taste,  and  separated  from  eveiy thing  objectionable 
in  sentiment. 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  121 

Mrs.  Rowe,  who  wrote  under  the  assumed  name  of 
"  Philomela,"  in  publishing  her  first  volume  of  poetry, 
"  partly  borrowed  from  authors,  and  partly  new,"  in 
the  beginning  of  the  last  century,  (1*704,)  was  influ- 
enced by  the  same  motives  which  actuated  the  philan- 
thropic minds  of  Wesley  and  Lady  Huntingdon.  In 
her  highly  interesting  preface,  Mrs.  Rowe  lays  bare  the 
evils  of  the  age  in  a  manner  that  would  astonish  the 
reader  of  the  present  day.  Her  bold  and  fearless  lan- 
guage is  worthy  of  record.  "Our  poets,"  says  she, 
"have  so  little  employed  their  talents  on  divine  sub- 
jects, that  their  numerous  volumes  afford  not  poems 
enough  of  that  nature  to  furnish  out  one  octavo."  In 
view  of  such  a  state  of  things  in  the  literary  world,  her 
pious  soul  thus  vents  its  regrets  : — "  Who  that  has  any 
concern  for  religion,  or  the  happiness  of  mankind,  can 
consider  without  melancholy,  what  store  of  profane  and 
lewd  poetry  these  late  times  have  produced  ?  how  much 
it  is  valued,  and  what  great  mischief  is  done  by  it? 
What  numbers  of  plays,  and  other  books  of  poetry  and 
gallantry,  are  daily  exposed  to  sale,  which,  besides  the 
wit,  (pity  so  excellent  a  thing  should  be  employed  to 
such  sorry  purposes,)  contain  nothing  but  fuel  for  men's 
corruptions !  that  burlesque  religion,  defy  its  Author, 
and  turn  the  most  serious  things  into  fulsome  ridicule ! 
Vice  here  rides  triumphant,  has  forgot  to  blush,  and 
puts  on  that  air  of  confidence  which  truth  and  virtue 
only  appear  in.  One  would  think  these  had  resigned 
up  all  their  authority  to  it,  and  acknowledged  vice  to 
be  the  more  noble  and  excellent  thing.  The  heathens 
are  at  length  conquered  by  us ;  ancient  Rome  must 
give  place  to  London  ;  and  should  the  poets  and  come- 
dians of  those  days  return  again,  they  would  freely  own 


122  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

themselves  outmatched  by  Christians,  and  wonder  at 
our  improvements  in  all  the  arts  of  wickedness.  It  is 
strange,  as  well  as  deplorable,  to  see  what  credit  the 
lewdest  authors  obtain  among  us ;  how  fast  then  infec- 
tion spreads,  and  how  fond  men  are  of  the  instruments 
of  their  ruin.  These  are  the  famous  volumes  that 
crowd  the  press,  and  enrich  the  printer  and  bookseller ! 
Books  of  a  contrary  strain,  though  their  subjects  are 
never  so  noble,  and  they  are  writ  with  a  great  deal  of 
sense  and  wit,  go  off  but  dully — they  want  the  most 
charming  accomplishment,  and  do  not  agree  (God  for- 
give us  !)  with  the  taste  of  this  refined  age !  to  such  a 
degree  of  degeneracy  are  we  grown ;  and  these  are  the 
dismal  effects  of  loose  and  impious  authors !  While 
war  makes  havoc  abroad,  the  stage  ruins  at  home,  and 
proves  more  fatal  to  men's  souls  than  that  to  their 
bodies ;  the  contagion  spreads  wide,  our  guilt  cries 
aloud,  and  like  a  mighty  deluge  threatens  to  overwhelm 
us." 

This  long  quotation  from  Mrs.  Rowe  is  made  to  show 
the  great  necessity  there  was  in  her  day,  which  imme- 
diately preceded  that  of  Wesley,  for  the  efforts  she 
made  to  produce  a  reformation  in  the  minds  and  tastes 
of  the  people  for  literary  aliment.  Doctor  Watts,  who 
was  cotemporaneous  with  Mrs.  Rowe,  and  on  terms  of 
intimate  friendship  with  her,  heartily  seconded  her  de- 
signs ;  and  it  must  be  confessed  that  his  poetical  writ- 
ings have  done  more  for  the  promotion  of  pure  and 
exalted  taste  in  sacred  poetry  of  the  lyric  kind,  than 
any  other  person  who  has  ever  lived  ;  unless  we  except 
Charles  Wesley,  whose  superior  efforts  in  the  same 
cause  are  destined  to  place  him  in  the  position  hereto- 
fore generally  assigned  to  Dr.  Watts,     Mrs.  Rowe  has 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  123 

not,  perhaps,  received  that  consideration  which  her 
early  and  important  aid  in  this  department  of  literature 
and  religion  entitles  her ;  although  Mr.  Montgomery,  in 
his  Christian  Psalmist,  has  made  respectful  but  brief 
allusion  to  her  ;  and  she  occupies  a  prominent  position 
among  the  authors  whose  works  compose  the  volumes 
which  will  now  be  introduced  to  the  notice  of  the 
reader.  Some  of  her  hymns  are  found  in  many 
hymn-books  of  the  present  day ;  but  there  are  none 
in  the  Methodist  collection. 

Acting  upon  the  suggestion  of  Lady  Huntingdon, 
which  was  altogether  in  unison  with  his  own  senti- 
ments, Mr.  Wesley  published  at  Bristol,  in  the  year 
1744,  "A  Collection  of  Moral  and  Sacred  Poems 

FROM  THE  MOST  CELEBRATED  ENGLISH  AUTHORS,"  in  three 

volumes,  duodecimo.  The  design  of  this  work  was  to  sup- 
ply what  was  deemed  by  many  among  the  chief  deside- 
rata of  the  age.  In  his  dedication  to  the  countess,  Mr. 
Wesley  says :  "  Your  mentioning  this  a  year  or  two 
ago,  and  expressing  a  desire  to  see  such  a  collection, 
determined  me  not  to  delay  the  design  I  had  long  had 
of  attempting  something  of  the  kind.  I  therefore 
revised  all  the  English  poems  I  knew,  and  selected 
what  appeared  most  valuable  in  them.  Only  Spen- 
ser's works  I  was  constrained  to  omit,  because  scarcely 
intelligible  to  the  generality  of  modern  readers. 

"  I  shall  rejoice  if  the  want  of  which  you  complained 
be  in  some  measure  supplied  by  the  following  collec- 
tion ;  of  winch  this,  at  least,  may  be  affirmed  :  There  is 
nothing  therein  contrary  to  virtue  ;  nothing  that  can  any 
way  offend  the  chastest  ear,  or  give  pain  to  the  tenderest 
heart.  And  perhaps  whatever  is  really  essential  to  the 
most  sublime  divinity,  as  well  the  purest  as  the  most 


124  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

refined,  will  be  found  therein.  Nor  is  it  a  small  circum- 
stance, that  the  most  just  and  important  sentiments 
are  here  represented  with  the  utmost  advantage ;  with 
all  the  ornaments  both  of  wit  and  language ;  and  in  the 
clearest,  fullest,  strongest  light." 

The  work  contains,  among  others,  selections  from 
Milton,  Dryden,  Young,  Pope,  Prior,  Cowley,  Norris, 
Pomfret,  Watts,  and  Mrs.  Rowe.  Cowper  had  not 
then  appeared,  or  he  would  doubtless  have  had  a  con- 
spicuous niche  in  the  collection.  The  third  volume  is 
composed  almost  entirely  of  poems  by  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Wesley,  Sen.,  and  his  three  celebrated  sons,  Samuel, 
John,  and  Charles.  Here  is  found  one  of  the  longest 
poems  written  by  Charles  Wesle}^.  It  is  an  elegy  on 
the  death  of  Robert  Jones,  Esq.,  of  Fonmon  Castle,  in 
Glamorganshire,  South  Wales,  consisting  of  about  six 
hundred  lines.  Mr.  Jones  is  mentioned  in  the  Life  of 
Lady  Huntingdon,  as  "  a  gentleman  of  large  fortune,  and 
a  truly  pious  convert,  through  the  labors  of  the  early 
Methodists,  to  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Christ  Jesus."  Mr. 
Charles  Wesley  was  the  honored  instrument,  in  the 
hands  of  God,  of  the  conversion  of  this  excellent  man, 
who  was  his  fellow-collegian  at  Oxford.  The  elegy, 
says  Mr.  Jackson,  "  is  written  with  great  spirit ;  de- 
scribes Mr.  Jones's  life,  conversion,  subsequent  piety, 
exemplary  conduct  as  a  husband  and  a  father,  his  at- 
tachment to  the  Church  of  England,  catholic  spirit, 
fidelity  to  his  Christian  profession,  and  triumphant 
death."  A  brief  extract,  which  will  serve  to  show  the 
character  of  the  poem,  is  all  that  can  be  given  : — 

"  O  what  a  change  was  there  !     The  man  of  birth 
Sinks  down  into  a  clod  of  common  earth : 


MKTIIODIST    HYMKOLOGY.  125 

The  man  of  polish'd  sense  his  judgment  quits, 
And  tamely  to  a  madman's  name  submits: 
The  man  of  curious  taste  neglects  his  food, 
And  all  is  pleasant  now,  and  all  is  good: 
The  man  of  rigid  honor  slights  his  fame, 
And  glories  in  his  Lord  and  Master's  shame : 
The  man  of  wealth  and  pleasure  all  forgoes, 
And  nothing  but  the  cross  of  Jesus  knows  : 
The  man  of  sin  is  wash'd  in  Jesus'  blood, 
The  man  of  sin  becomes  a  child  of  God. 
Throughout  his  life  the  new  creation  shines, 
Throughout  his  words,  and  actions,  and  designs : 
Quicken'd  with  Christ,  he  sought  the  things  above, 
And  evidenced  the  faith  which  works  by  love, 
Which  quenches  Satan's  every  fiery  dart, 
O'ercomes  the  world,  and  purifies  the  heart." 

There  are  some  hymns  from  Mrs.  Rowe,  Dr.  Watts, 
and  the  three  brothers  Wesley.  Those  by  the  eldest 
brother,  Samuel,  have  nearly  all  been  transferred  to 
the  English  and  American  Hymn-books,  and  are  well 
worthy  of  the  distinguished  place  they  hold  in  many 
other  collections  of  hymns.  They  commence  as  fol- 
lows : — 

"  The  morning  flowers  display  their  sweets." 

"  Hail,  Father !  whose  creating  call." 

"  From  whence  these  dire  portents  around." 

"  Hail,  Holy  Ghost,  Jehovah,  third." 

"  The  Lord  of  sabbath  let  us  praise." 

"  The  Sun  of  righteousness  appears." 

The  following  hymn,  from  the  pen  of  Charles  Wes- 
ley, has  found  its  way  into  James  Montgomery's 
"  Christian  Psalmist."  Mr.  Montgomery  has  enriched 
his  valuable  work  by  inserting  in  it  about  one  hundred 
and  twenty  Wesleyan  hymns,  but  without,  in  many 
instances,  giving  the  author's  name. 


126  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 


THE    CHRISTIAN. 


Who  is  as  the  Christian  great  ? 

Bought  and  wash'd  with  sacred  blood ; 
Crowns  he  sees  beneath  his  feet, 

Soars  aloft,  and  walks  with  God. 

Who  is  as  the  Christian  wise  ? 

He  his  naught  for  all  hath  given  j 
Bought  the  pearl  of  greatest  price, 

Nobly  barter'd  earth  for  heaven. 

Who  is  as  the  Christian  bless'd  1 
He  hath  found  the  long-sought  stone, 

He  is  join'd  to  Christ,  his  rest, 
He  and  happiness  are  one. 

Earth  and  heaven  together  meet, 
Gifts  in  him  and  graces  join  ; 

Make  the  character  complete, 
All  immortal,  all  divine. 

Lo !  his  clothing  is  the  sun, 

The  bright  Sun  of  righteousness ; 

He  hath  put  salvation  on — 
Jesus  is  his  beauteous  dress. 

Lo  !  he  feeds  on  living  bread, 
Drinks  the  fountain  from  above, 

Leans  on  Jesus'  breast  his  head  • 
Feasts  for  ever  on  his  love. 

Angels  here  his  servants  are, 

Spread  for  him  their  golden  wings, 

To  his  throne  of  glory  bear, 
Seat  him  by  the  King  of  kings. 

Who  shall  gain  that  heavenly  height  ? 

Who  his  Saviour's  face  shall  see  ? 
I  who  claim  it  in  his  right, 

Christ  hath  bought  it  all  for  me. 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  127 

Neither  affliction,  nor  ministerial  labor,  says  Mr. 
Charles  Wesley's  biographer,  could  induce  him  to  neg- 
lect the  cultivation  of  his  poetical  talents.  In  the  course 
of  the  year  1*745  he  united  with  his  brother  in  the 
publication  of  a  volume  of  "  Hymns  on  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per ;"  the  whole  of  which  appear  to  have  been  their 
own  compositions :  a  few  hymns  being  introduced 
into  the  volume  from  their  Hymn-books  of  1*739  and 
1740.  To  the  hymns  was  prefixed  a  brief  spiritual 
treatise  of  Dr.  Brevint,  a  clergyman  of  a  former  age, 
entitled,  "  The  Christian  Sacrament  and  Sacrifice ;"  ex- 
plaining the  nature  of  this  ordinance,  and  giving  direc- 
tions for  receivinGf  it  aright.  The  brothers  borrowed 
many  thoughts  from  this  treatise  in  the  composition 
of  their  hymns,  some  of  which  can  scarcely  be  con- 
sidered more  than  metrical  paraphrases  of  the  prose 
text ;  but  while  the  pious  authors  were  under  obliga- 
tions to  Dr.  Brevint  for  some  of  his  excellent  ideas,  the 
poetical  character  of  the  hymns  are  well  worthy  of  the 
poets  of  Methodism.  "  This  very  pious  manual,"  ob- 
serves Mr.  Jackson,  "was  in  great  request,  and  in 
increasing  demand  as  long  as  the  authors  lived.  Few 
of  the  books  which  they  published  passed  through  so 
many  editions ;  for  the  writers  had  succeeded  in  im- 
pressing upon  the  minds  of  their  societies  the  great 
importance  of  frequent  communion.  They  administered 
the  Lord's  supper  in  London  every  sabbath- day ;  and 
urged  the  people  everywhere,  at  all  opportunities,  to 
'  eat  of  this  bread,  and  drink  of  this  cup,'  in  '  remem- 
brance'of  their  Redeemer's  death.  The  sacramental 
hymns  are  one  hundred  and  sixty-six  in  number ;  and 
although  they  all  refer  to  one  subject,  they  arc  distin- 
guished throughout  by  a  remarkable  variety  of  thought 


128  .METHODIST  HYMNOLOGY. 

and  expression.  The  flame  of  devotion  by  which  they 
are  animated  is  bright  and  intense." 

As  already  stated,  some  of  the  hymns  in  this  volume 
are  paraphrases.  The  following  is  selected  as  a  speci- 
men ;  and  perhaps  a  better  could  not  be  given,  nor  one 
that  would  exhibit  more  favorably  the  author's  power 
to  transmute  the  sober  realities  of  prose  into  the  most 
exalted  strains  of  sacred  song.  The  reader  is  requested 
to  collate  this  hymn — which  may  be  found  in  the  Hymn- 
books  of  both  the  Wesleyan  and  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  South — with  the  following  extract  from  Dr. 
Brevint's  "  Christian  Sacrifice  :" — 

"  This  victim  having  been  offered  up  in  the  fullness 
of  time,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  world,  which  is  Christ's 
great  temple,  and  having  been  thence  carried  up  to 
heaven,  which  is  his  sanctuary;  from  thence  spread 
salvation  all  around,  as  the  burnt-offering  did  its  smoke. 
And  thus  his  body  and  blood  have  everywhere,  but 
especially  at  this  sacrament,  a  true  and  real  presence. 
When  he  offered  himself  upon  earth,  the  vapor  of  his 
atonement  went  up  and  darkened  the  very  sun ;  and  by 
rending  the  great  veil,  it  clearly  showed  he  had  made 
a  way  into  heaven.  And  since  he  is  gone  up,  he 
sends  down  to  earth  the  graces  that  spring  continually 
both  from  his  everlasting  sacrifice  and  from  the  con- 
tinual intercession  that  attends  it.  So  that  we  need 
not  say,  '  Who  will  go  up  into  heaven  ?'  since,  without 
either  ascending  or  descending,  this  sacred  body  of 
Jesus  fills  with  atonement  and  blessings  the  remotest 
parts  of  his  temple." 

Thus  sings  Charles  Wesley : — 

"  Victim  divine,  thy  grace  we  claim, 

While  thus  thy  precious  death  we  show ; 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  129 

Once  offer'd  up  a  spotless  Lamb, 

In  thy  great  temple  here  below, 
Thou  didst  for  all  mankind  atone, 
And  Btandest  now  before  the  throne. 

"  Thou  Btandest  in  the  holiest  place, 

As  now  for  guilty  sinners  slain, 
The  blood  of  sprinkling  speaks,  and  prays, 

All  prevalent  for  helpless  man  ; 
Thy  blood  is  still  our  ransom  found, 
And  speaks  salvation  all  around. 

"  The  smoke  of  thy  atonement  here 
Darkcn'd  the  sun,  and  rent  the  veil, 

Made  the  new  way  to  heaven  appear, 
And  show'd  the  great  Invisible  ; 

Well  pleased  in  thee  our  God  look'd  down, 

And  call'd  his  rebels  to  a  crown. 

"  He  still  respects  thy  sacrifice, 

Its  savor  sweet  doth  always  please ; 
The  offering  smokes  through  earth  and  skies, 

Diffusing  life,  and  joy,  and  peace  ; 
To  these,  thy  lower  courts,  it  comes, 
And  fills  them  with  divine  perfumes. 

"  We  need  not  noAV  go  up  to  heaven, 

To  bring  the  long-sought  Saviour  down  : 
Thou  art  to  all  already  given, 

Thou  dost  e'en  now  thy  banquet  crown, 
To  every  faithful  soul  appear, 
And  show  thy  real  presence  here." 

But  the  prime  source  of  Charles  Wesley's  inspira- 
tion was  his  religion — his  deep,  fervent,  impassioned 
piety ;  this  it  was  that  led  him  to  explore  the  glorious 
heights,  and  sound  the  unfathomable  depths,  of  divine 
Revelation  ;  and  although  he  sometimes 

"  Stoop'd  to  touch  a  lofty  thought," 

which  had  been  touched  before,  he  generally  drew  his 
6* 


130  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGT. 

sentiments  from  heaven,  fresh  and  fragrant  from  the 
amaranthine  bowers  of  bliss,  and  baptized  with  the 
ambrosial  dews  of  celestial  love. 

A  copy  of  the  eleventh  edition  of  this  work,  pub- 
lished at  London,  in  the  year  1825,  is  before  the  writer. 
It  contains  one  hundred  and  seventy  pages,  and  is 
divided  into  six  parts,  as  follow  :  1.  As  it  is  a  memo- 
rial of  the  sufferings  and  death  of  Christ.  2.  As  it 
is  a  sign  and  means  of  grace.  3.  The  sacrament,  a 
pledge  of  heaven.  4.  The  holy  eucharist  as  it  implies 
a  sacrifice.  5.  Concerning  the  sacrifice  of  our  per- 
sons.    6.  After  the  sacrament. 

We  are  indebted  to  this  excellent  volume  for  the 
following  hymns,  but  unfortunately  have  no  means  by 
which  to  distinguish  between  the  compositions  of  the 
two  brothers  ;  and  therefore  fix  upon  Charles  Wesley 
as  the  author  of  them  all : — 

224.  Author  of  our  salvation,  thee. 

226.  Come,  thou  everlasting  Spirit. 

229.  Come,  Saviour,  let  thy  tokens  prove. 
374.  Father,  into  thy  hands  alone. 
316.  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost. 

313.  God  of  all-redeeming  grace. 
200.  God  of  unexampled  grace. 
254.  Happy  the  souls  to  Jesus  join'd. 

219.  In  that  sad,  memorable  night. 

225.  Jesus,  all-redeeming  Lord. 
196.  Jesus  drinks  the  bitter  cup. 

222.  Jesus,  we  thus  obey. 

220.  Let  all  who  truly  bear. 

228.  Lamb  of  God,  whose  dying  love. 
544.  Lift  up  your  eyes  of  faith,  and  see- 

314.  Let  Him  to  whom  we  now  belong. 

227.  0  thou  eternal  Victim,  slain. 
591.  0  God  of  our  forefathers,  hear. 

223.  Rock  of  Israel,  cleft  for  me. 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  131 

121.  Son  of  God,  thy  blessing  grant. 
545.  Who  arc  these  array'd  in  white  ? 

The  following  in  the  Hymn-book  of  the  M.  E.  Church, 
South : — 

"  Come,  Holy  Ghost,  set  to  thy  seal." 

"  Father,  hear  the  blood  of  Jesus." 

"  Father,  if  thou  willing  be." 

"  Hearts  of  stone,  relent,  relent." 

"  How  long,  thou  faithful  God,  shall  I." 

"  In  Jesus  we  live,  in  Jesus  we  rest." 

"Lord,  didst  thou  ordain/' 

"  0  what  a  taste  is  this." 

"  See  where  our  great  High  Priest." 

"  Thou  very  paschal  Lamb." 

"  This,  this  is  He  that  came." 

"  Thee,  King  of  saints,  we  praise." 

"  Victim  divine,  thy  grace  we  claim." 

And  two  in  the  Wesleyan  Collection  : — 

"  Come,  all  who  truly  bear." 

"  Come,  Holy  Ghost,  thine  influence  shed." 

Some  of  the  numerous  poetical  publications  of 
Messrs.  John  and  Charles  Wesley,  which  were  issued 
in  the  form  of  tracts,  or  pamphlets,  grew  out  of  the 
peculiar  circumstances  under  which  the  Methodist 
societies,  established  by  them  and  their  coadjutors  in 
various  parts  of  the  kingdom,  were  placed.  They  were 
menaced  by  the  laws  of  the  land  on  the  one  side,  and  by 
what  was  regarded  by  many  as  the  peculiar  rights  and 
immunities  of  the  Established  Church,  on  the  other. 
The  contents  of  those  tracts  throw  important  light  on 
the  history  of  Methodism.  Indeed,  Mr.  Jackson,  in  his 
admirable  Life  of  Charles  Wesley,  and  other  works, 
frequently  uses  them  for  this  very  purpose,  as  well  as 


132  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

to  illustrate  some  of  the  most  important  and  minor 
events  in  the  personal  narrative  of  the  brothers.  These 
remarks  will  serve  to  introduce  a  pamphlet  of  sixty-nine 
pages,  which  was  issued  this  year,  by  John  and  Charles 
Wesley,  entitled,  "  Hymns  for  Times  of  Trouble  and 
Persecution  ;"  which  was  enlarged  and  reprinted  at 
Bristol,  from  a  tract  printed  at  London,  in  the  year 
1744,  with  the  following  motto  :  "  If  ye  be  willing  and 

obedient,  ye  shall  eat  the  good  of  the  land But 

if  ye  refuse  and  rebel,  ye  shall  be  devoured  with  the 
sword  :  for  the  mouth  of  the  Lord  hath  spoken  it." — 
Isa.  i,  19,  20. 

This  publication  was  occasioned  by  the  riots  and 
outrages  which  were  prevalent  at  the  time  in  various 
parts  of  the  kingdom.  These  riots  and  outrages  were 
accompanied  by  opposition  the  most  systematic  and 
determined,  by  which  the  Methodist  preachers  and 
societies  were  greatly  harassed.  The  country,  which 
was  in  a  very  unsettled  state,  was  at  war  with  France 
and  Spain.  It  was  threatened  with  an  invasion  by  the 
French,  for  the  purpose  of  deposing  the  reigning  mo- 
narch, George  the  Second,  and  of  placing  on  the  British 
throne  the  exiled  representative  of  the  house  of  Stuart. 
Under  such  government,  had  the  project  succeeded, 
Popery  would  again  have  been  restored  in  the  triumph- 
ant exercise  of  its  arbitrary  power.  The  national  dan- 
ger was  made  a  pretext  for  the  most  bitter  persecution 
of  the  Wesleys  and  their  fellow-laborers  in  the  gospel. 
They  were  represented  as  Papists,  in  the  pay  of  the 
Pretender ;  and,  in  several  instances,  the  magistrates, 
who  should  have  protected  an  unoffending  people,  tore 
Methodist  preachers  away  from  their  families  and  sent 
them  into  the  army.     Even  Messrs.  John  and  Charles 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  133 

Wesley  were  subjected  to  unjust  charges,  and  examined 
before  the  civil  authorities  ;  one  in  Cornwall,  and  the 
other  in  Yorkshire.  Yet  men  of  purer  loyalty  did  not 
exist.  They  inculcated  obedience  to  the  laws  wherever 
they  preached,  and  appointed  in  their  principal  societies 
weekly  meetings  of  intercession  with  God  for  the  main- 
tenance of  public  tranquillity,  and  of  the  Protestant 
constitution.  It  was  under  such  trials  that  they  con- 
tinued their  practice  of  employing  the  press  for  the 
accomplishment  of  their  pious  purposes.  In  the  midst 
of  the  persecution  they  published  their  "  Hymns  for 
Times  of  Trouble,"  nearly  the  whole  of  which  were 
doubtless  from  the  pen  of  Charles.  "  In  these  very 
spirited  compositions,"  says  Mr.  Jackson,  "  the  national 
sins  are  confessed  and  lamented ;  the  mercy  of  God  is 
earnestly  implored  in  behalf  of  a  guilty  people ;  civil 
war  is  deprecated  as  a  great  and  terrible  calamity ;  the 
preservation  of  the  Protestant  religion,  and  a  revival  of 
its  primitive  spirit,  are  both  solicited  as  the  most  im- 
portant blessings  ;  and  the  king  is  especially  commend- 
ed to  the  divine  protection,  not  as  the  creature  of  the 
popular  will,  but  as  God's  vicegerent,  and  his  minister 
for  good  to  the  people." 

The  following  three  hymns  are  from  this  source : — 

17.  Sinners,  the  call  obey. 
128.  Jesus,  Redeemer  of  mankind. 
275.  Head  of  the  church  triumphant. 

And  the  four  in  the  Wesleyan  Collection,  commenc- 
ing 

"  Lord,  thou  hast  bid  thy  people  pray." 
"  Lamb  of  God,  who  bearesl  away.'' 
"  Sovereign  of  all,  whose  will  ordains." 
"  Ye  servants  of  God,  your  Master  proclaim." 


134  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

It  was  about  the  year  1*744  that  Messrs.  John  and 
Charles  Wesley  began  to  publish,  in  the  form  of  tracts, 
for  the  use  of  the  Methodist  societies  and  congrega- 
tions, hymns  adapted  to  the  principal  festivals  of  the 
Christian  church,  and  other  special  occasions,  such  as 
the  "  Nativity  "  of  Christ,  his  "  Resurrection,"  "  Ascen- 
sion Day,"  "Whitsunday,"  "New- Year's  Day,"  and 
"  Watchnights."  Other  poetical  pamphlets,  chiefly 
written  by  Charles  Wesley,  they  also  published,  con- 
taining graces  before  and  after  meat,  and  doxologies 
addressed  to  the  Holy  Trinity ;  others  were  adapted  to 
the  state  of  the  times,  and  the  spiritual  wants  and  con- 
ditions of  the  people,  as  indicated  by  their  titles. 

The  watchnight  services* — and  they  appear  to  have 
been  of  frequent  occurrence — which  were  conducted 
by  Charles  Wesley,  in  those  times  were  usually  sea- 
sons of  great  solemnity  and  power.  "  Amidst  the 
silence  of  the  night,  and  in  the  absence  of  riotous 
people  and  triflers,  he  and  his  fellow-worshipers  antici- 
pated the  sound  of  the  trumpet  which  shall  awake  the 
dead,  and  proclaim  the  appearance  of  the  almighty 
Judge.  His  prayers,  and  impressive  addresses  to  the 
people,  with  the  appropriate  hymns  which  they  unitedly 
sung  at  his  dictation,  seemed  to  bring  them  near  the 
day  of  the  Lord ;  and  they  rejoiced  before  him  with 

*"A.  D.  1742.  The  first  watchnight  was  held  in  London. 
The  custom  originated  with  the  colliers  of  Kingswood,  near 
Bristol,  who  had  been  in  the  habit,  when  slaves  to  sin,  of  spend- 
ing every  Saturday  night  at  the  alehouse.  They  now  devoted 
that  night  to  prayer,  and  singing  of  hymns.  Mr.  Wesley,  hear- 
ing of  this,  and  of  the  good  that  was  done,  resolved  to  make  it 
general.  At  firspLhe  ordered  watchnights  to  be  kept  once  a  month, 
when  the  moon  was  at  the  full ;  and  afterward  fixed  them  for 
once  a  quarter." — Crowiher's  Portraiture  of  Methodism. 


METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY.  135 

tlie  deepest  reverence."  There  lies  before  the  writer 
a  tract  of  twelve  pages,  entitled  "Hymns  for  the 
Watchntght,"  containing  eleven  hymns,  all  intended 
to  be  sung  upon  watchnight  occasions.  In  this  tract 
first  appeared  the  hymns  commencing, 

243.  How  happy,  gracious  Lord,  are  we. 
292.  Meet  and  right  it  is  to  sing. 
572.  Thou  Judge  of  quick  and  dead. 

And  the  following  two  in  the  Hymn-book  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South  : 

"  Join,  all  ye  ransom'd  sons  of  grace." 
"  Ye  virgin  souls,  arise." 

The  second  edition  of  "  Hymns  for  the  Nativity 
of  our  Lord,"  comprising  eighteen  pages,  and  the 
same  number  of  hymns,  appeared  in  1745,  and  the 
fifth  in  1756.  In  this  tract  was  first  published  the  two 
hymns  beginning, 

485.  All  glory  to  God  in  the  sky. 

486.  Father,  our  hearts  we  lift. 

There  are  two  copies  of  this  pamphlet  before  the 
writer,  in  one  of  which  hymn  485  is  not  found.  This 
circumstance  is  referred  to  by  Mr.  Wesley  in  the  fol- 
lowing extract  of  a  letter  to  his  brother  Charles,  written 
in  the  year  1761 :  "Pray,  tell  R.  Sheen  I  am  hugely 
displeased  at  his  reprinting  the  Nativity  Hymns,  and 
omitting  the  very  best  hymn  in  the  collection, — 

'  All  glory  to  God  in  the  sky,'  &c. 
I  beg  they  may  never  more  be  printed  without  it. 
Omit  one  or  two,  and  I  Avill  thank  you.  They  are 
namhj-pambical.  I  wish  you  would  give  us  two  or 
three  invitatory  hymns.  We  want  such  exceedingly."* 
*  Works,  vol.  vi,  p.  663. 


136  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

In  subsequent  editions  the  objectionable  hymns  were 
omitted,  the  missing  one  restored,  and  a  few  more 
added,  making  in  all  twenty-one  hymns.  From  this 
tract  was  taken  the  hymn  in  the  hymn-book,  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  commencing, 

"  Come,  thou  long-expected  Jesus  f 
and  four  more  in  the  Wesleyan  Collection : — 

"  Let  earth  and  heaven  combine." 

"  Light  of  those  whose  dreary  dwelling." 

"  Celebrate  Immanuel's  name." 

"  Glory  be  to  God  on  high." 

The  last  hymn  we  give  entire,  as  being  in  our  esti- 
mation of  unusual  excellence  : — 

"  Glory  be  to  God  on  high, 

And  peace  on  earth  descend  ; 
God  comes  down  :  he  bows  the  sky, 

He  shows  himself  our  Friend ! 
God,  th'  Invisible,  appears, 

God  the  bless'd,  the  great  I  Am, 
Sojourns  in  this  vale  of  tears, 

And  Jesus  is  his  name. 

"  Him  the  angels  all  adored — 

Their  Maker  and  their  King  : 
Tidings  of  their  humbled  Lord 

They  now  to  mortals  bring : 
Emptied  of  his  majesty, 

Of  his  dazzling  glories  shorn, 
Being's  source  begins  to  be, 

And  God  himself  is  born. 

"  See  th'  eternal  Son  of  God 

A  mortal  son  of  man, 
Dwelling  in  an  earthly  clod, 

Whom  heaven  cannot  contain  ! 
Stand  amazed,  ye  heavens,  at  this  ! 

See  the  Lord  of  earth  and  skies, 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  13V 

Humbled  to  the  dust  he  is, 
And  in  a  manger  lies  ! 

t:  We,  the  sons  of  men,  rejoice, 

The  Prince  of  peace  proclaim, 
With  heaven's  host  lift  up  our  voice, 

And  shout  Immanuel's  name, 
Knees  and  hearts  to  him  we  bow  ; 

Of  our  flesh,  and  of  our  bone, 
Jesus  is  our  brother  now, 

And  God  is  all  our  own  !" 

In  the  year  1*746  the  English  nation  was  called  to 
acknowledge  the  goodness  of  God,  in  its  deliverance 
from  the  dreadful  calamity  of  a  civil  war,  by  the  com- 
plete defeat  and  annihilation  of  the  rebel  forces  under 
the  Pretender,  at  the  battle  of  Culloden,  which  was 
fought  on  the  16th  of  April.  The  following  9th  of 
October  was  observed  by  the  sound-hearted  Protest- 
ants of  the  nation  as  a  day  of  public  thanksgiving, 
and  to  all  such  it  was  doubtless  a  season  of  pious  and 
substantial  joy  ;  and  many  loyal  sermons  were  preached 
and  published  on  the  occasion.  Mr.  Charles  Wesley 
preached  at  the  Foundry  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, where  there  was  a  time  of  solemn  rejoicing  and 
true  thanksgiving.  In  the  expression  of  gratitude  to 
God,  and  of  unfeigned  attachment  to  the  reigning 
family,  the  Methodist  congregations  were  behind  no 
class  of  their  fellow-citizens. 

This  was  not  the  only  service  that  Mr.  Charles  Wes- 
ley rendered  the  good  cause  of  Protestant  loyalty  upon 
this  most  interesting  occasion.  He  published  seven 
hymns  in  a  tract  of  twelve  pages,  entitled,  "Hymns 
for  the  Public  Thanksgiving  Day,  Oct.  9,  1746," 
for  general  circulation,  and  especially  for  the  use  of 


138  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

Methodist  congregations.  "They  are  all,"  says  Mr. 
Jackson,  "  of  a  thoroughly  Protestant  character ;  are 
written  with  singular  strength  of  thought  and  expres- 
sion ;  and  must  at  the  time  have  produced  a  strong- 
sensation.  The  writer  evidently  felt  that  the  nation 
had  passed  a  momentous  crisis;  France  and  Spain 
having  been  ready  to  aid  the  design  of  placing  the 
British  crown  upon  the  head  of  a  slave  of  Papal 
Rome." 

Not  one  of  these  hymns  has  found  its  way  into  either 
the  English  or  American  Hymn-book.  Here  is  one  of 
them  as  a  specimen :  it  is  the  first  of  the  seven  : — 

"  Britons,  rejoice,  the  Lord  is  King ! 
The  Lord  of  hosts  and  nations  sing, 
Whose  arm  hath  now  your  foes  o'erthrown ; 
Ascribe  to  God  the  praise  alone  ; 
The  Giver  of  success  proclaim, 
And  shout  your  thanks  in  Jesus'  name  ! 

"  'Twas  not  a  feeble  arm  of  ours 
Which  chased  the  fierce  contending  powers  ; 
Jehovah  tum'd  the  scale  of  fight ; 
Jehovah  quell'd  their  boasted  might, 
And  snapp'd  their  spears,  and  broke  their  swords, 
And  show'd — the  battle  is  the  Lord's. 

"  He  beckon'd  to  the  savage  band, 
And  bade  them  sweep  through  half  the  land  : 
The  savage  band  their  terror  spread, 
With  Rome  and  Satan  at  their  head, 
But,  stopp'd  by  his  Almighty  breath, 
Bush'd  back — into  the  arms  of  death. 

c!  Thou,  Lord,  alone  hast  laid  them  low, 
In  pieces  dash'd  th'  invading  foe ! 
Thy  breath,  which  did  their  fury  raise, 
Hath  quench'd,  at  once,  the  sudden  blaze, 
Destroy'd  the  weapons  of  thine  ire, 
And  cast  the  rods  into  the  fire. 


METHODIST    HYMNOLO.GY.  139 

';  O  that  we  all  might  see  the  hand 
Woieh  still  protects  a  guilty  land  ; 
Glory  and  strength  ascribe  to  Thee, 
Who  giv'st  to  kings  the  victory ; 
And  yield,  while  yet  the  Spirit  strives, 
And  thank  thee  with  our  hearts  and  lives ! 

"  O  that  we  might  to  God  rejoice, 
And  tremble  at  thy  mercy's  voice ; 
Nor  fondly  dream  the  danger  past, 
While  yet  our  own  rebellions  last ! 
O  that  our  wars  with  Heaven  might  cease, 
And  all  receive  the  Prince  of  peace. 

"  Or  if,  before  the  scourge  return, 
The  thankless  crowd  disdains  to  mourn, 
Yet,  Lord,  with  reverential  joy, 
We  vow  for  thee  our  all  t'  employ, 
And  bless  thee  for  the  kind  reprieve, 
And  to  our  Saviour's  glory  live  ! 

';  Long  as  thou  length'nest  out  our  days, 
We  live  to  testify  thy  grace ; 
Secure  beneath  thy  mercy's  wings, 
We  triumph  in  the  King  of  kings, 
The  Giver  of  success  proclaim, 
And  shout  our  thanks  in  Jesus'  name." 


"  Graces  before  and  after  Meat,"  is  the  title  of  a 
tract  in  two  parts,  containing  twelve  pages.  The 
"  graces  "  are  in  the  form  of  short  hymns,  in  a  variety 
of  metres,  of  from  one  to  three  verses  each,  except  twro, 
one  of  which  has  four,  and  the  other  seven,  verses.  The 
title  of  the  tract  indicates  the  use  designed  to  be  made 
of  its  contents,  although  it  w^ould  seem  somewhat 
strange  at  this  day,  in  our  country,  to  sing  a  grace 
either  before  or  after  a  meal.  But  it  was  not  so  among 
the  simple-hearted  Methodists.     As  they  had  been  in- 


140  METHODIST    IIYMMOLOGY. 

structed  by  those  set  over  them  in  the  Lord,  they  were 
ready  and  willing  to  praise  their  divine  Head  at  all 
times,  and  in  every  possible  way.  The  strangeness  of 
the  thing,  however,  is  not  a  sufficient  reason  why  the 
"  graces  "  should  not  be  thus  employed,  as  their  use 
could  not  but  be  conducive  to  a  spirit  of  gratitude  to 
the  Giver  of  every  good  and  perfect  gift,  for  temporal 
as  well  as  spiritual  blessings.  Mr.  Wesley  sometimes 
sung  a  hymn  before  partaking  of  his  food,  and  his 
brother  Charles  wrote  a  hymn  "to  be  sung  at  the  tea- 
table  ;"  and  the  practice  is  still  continued  in  many  parts 
of  England  among  his  followers.  Here  follow  a  few 
specimens  from  this  tract.  First  from  "  Graces  before 
Meat,"  eleven  in  number. 

Father  of  earth  and  heaven, 

Thy  hungry  children  feed ; 
Thy  grace  be  to  our  spirits  given, 

That  true  immortal  bread : 
Grant  us,  and  all  our  race, 

In  Jesus  Christ  to  prove 
The  sweetness  of  thy  pard'ning  grace, 

The  manna  of  thy  love. 

O,  Father  of  all, 

Who  fillcst  with  good 
The  ravens  that  call 

On  thee  for  their  food ; 
Those  ready  to  perish 

Thou  lov'st  to  sustain ; 
And  wilt  thou  not  cherish 

The  children  of  men  ? 

On  thee  avc  depend 

Our  wants  to  supply, 
Whose  goodness  shall  send 

Us  bread  from  the  sky  : 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  141 

On  earth  thou  shalt  give  us 

A  taste  of  thy  love, 
And  shortly  receive  us 

To  banquet  above. 

Here  is  one  of  four  graces,  intended 

FOR    MOURNERS. 

O  how  can  a  criminal  feast, 

In  chains,  and  appointed  to  die? 
O  how  can  a  sinner  he  hless'd 

With  only  an  outward  supply? 
Till  Him  at  the  table  I  meet, 

Who  chases  my  sorrows  and  fears, 
The  bread  of  affliction  I  cat, 

And  mingle  my  drink  with  my  tears. 

For  mercy  I  languish  and  faint, 

My  only  refreshment  and  food ; 
Thy  mercy,  O  Jesus,  I  want, 

I  hunger  and  thirst  after  God  : 
No  Messing  or  good  I  desire 

On  earth,  or  in  heaven  ahove ; 
But  grant  mc  the  grace  I  require, 

And  give  me  a  taste  of  thy  love  ! 

The  following  are  from  the  second  part,  "  Graces 
after  Meat,"  twenty-five  in  number  : — 

Father,  through  thy  Son  receive 

Our  grateful  sacrifice, 
All  the  wants  of  all  that  live 

Thine  open  hand  supplies  ; 
Fills  the  world  with  plenteous  food  ; 

For  the  riches  of  thy  grace, 
Take,  thou  universal  God, 

The  universal  praise. 

And  can  we  forbear  in  tasting  our  food, 
The  grace  to  declare,  and  goodness  of  God ! 
Our  Father  in  heaven,  with  joy  we  partake 
The  gifts  thou  nasi  given  for  Jcsus's  sake. 


142  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

In  thee  do  we  live ;  thy  daily  supplies, 
As  manna  received,  dropp'd  down  from  the  skies  ; 
In  thanks  we  endeavor  thy  gifts  to  restore, 
And  praise  thee  for  ever,  when  time  is  no  more. 

Blessing  to  God,  for  ever  bless'd, 
To  God,  the  Master  of  the  feast, 
Who  hath  for  us  a  table  spread, 
And  in  this  howling  desert  fed, 
And  doth  with  all  his  gifts  impart 
The  crown  of  all,  a  thankful  heart. 

Thee,  Father,  Son,  and  Spirit,  we 

Our  kind  Preserver  praise 
While  in  thy  threefold  gifts  we  see, 

And  taste  thy  threefold  grace. 
Thou  feed'st  the  needy  sons  of  men, 

Thou  dost  our  strength  renew, 
With  corn,  and  wine,  and  oil,  sustain 

Our  fainting  spirits  too. 

Father,  in  thee  we  taste  the  bread 

That  cheers  the  church  above, 
And  drink,  from  sin  and  sorrow  freed, 

The  wine  of  Jesus'  love. 
Th'  oil  of  joy,  th'  Spirit  of  grace, 

To  us  himself  imparts, 
The  oil  that  brightens  every  face, 

And  gladdens  all  our  hearts. 

With  awful  thanks  we  now  receive 

Our  emblematic  food, 
On  Father,  Son,  and  Spirit,  live, 

And  daily  feast  on  God ; 
We  to  thy  glory  drink  and  eat, 

Till  all  from  earth  remove, 
The  endless  praises  to  repeat 

Of  all-sustaining  Love. 

These  metrical  graces  were  very  popular  among  the 
people  for  whose  use  they  had  been  prepared,  and 


METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY.  143 

they  were  highly  beneficial  to  them.  Their  acquisition 
by  the  memory  was  an  easy  task,  and  their  retention 
pleasant  and  agreeable.  They  had  the  effect  of  pre- 
senting to  their  rninds  more  frequently  the  debt  of  gra- 
titude they  were  under  to  God  for  the  many  gifts  and 
blessings  he  had  bestowed  upon  them. 

During  the  year  1746  was  issued  from  the  press  a  small 
volume  of  hymns,  of  sixty-eight  pages,  formerly  known 
by  the  name  of  "  Redemption  Hymns."  The  volume 
is  entitled  "  Hymns  for  those  that  seek,  and  those 

THAT  HAVE,  REDEMPTION  IN  THE  BLOOD  OF  JESUS  CHRIST." 

The  fifth  edition  of  this  work  appeared  in  London,  in 
1756.     There  is  no  author's  name  in  the  title-page,  nor 
any  preface  to  the  volume,  which  is  the  case  with  se- 
veral other  Hymn-books  published  by  the  Wesleys.     As 
there  is  no  mention  of  this  work  in  the  Life  of  Charles 
Wesley,  it  may  safely  be  inferred  that,  although  boti 
brothers  were,  doubtless,  concerned  in  its  composition 
Mr.  John  Wesley  alone  was  responsible  for  its  pub 
lication. 

The  following  are  redemption  hymns  : — 

437.  All  praise  to  our  redeeming  Lord. 
117.  Come,  Lord,  from  above. 
3.  Come,  sinners,  to  the  gospel  feast. 

38.  Father  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  Just. 
293.  Father,  in  whom  we  live. 

58.  Father  of  Jesus  Christ,  my  Lord. 
143.  Father,  behold  with  gracious  eyes. 
439.  God  of  love,  that  hear'st  the  prayer. 
430.  God  of  all  consolation,  take. 
253.  Happy  the  man  that  finds  the  grace. 
548.  How  happy  is  the  pilgrim's  lot. 
691.  Infinite  God,  to  thee  we  raise. 
119.  Jesus,  my  Lord,  attend. 


144  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

469.  Jesus,  my  strength  and  righteousness. 
429.  Jesus,  accept  the  praise. 
288.  Jesus,  take  all  the  glory. 
588.  Lo  !  I  come  with  joy  to  do. 
310.  Love  divine,  all  loves  excelling. 
537.  Leader  of  faithful  souls,  and  guide. 
691.  Messiah,  joy  of  every  heart.  (2d  part.) 
133.  O  wondrous  power  of  faithful  prayer. 

277.  Rejoice  evermore  with  angels  above. 

691.  Saviour,  we  now  rejoice  in  hope.  (3d  part.) 
103.  Shepherd  of  souls,  with  pitying  eye. 
549.  Still  out  of  the  deepest  abyss. 
178.  Thou  great  mysterious  God  unknown. 
47.  Thou  hidden  God,  for  whom  I  groan. 
9.  Weary  souls  that  wander  wide. 
594.  Worship,  and  thanks,  and  blessing. 

278.  Ye  simple  souls,  that  stray. 

192.  Ye  heavens,  rejoice  in  Jesus's  grace. 

And  the  following  two  in  the  Wesleyan  Hymn-book : — 

"  All  thanks  be  to  God,  Who  scatters  abroad." 
"  Out  of  the  deep  I  cry." 

It  is  a  matter  of  surprise  that  the  biographer  of  the 
poets  should  remain  silent  in  reference  to  a  volume 
which  may  be  considered  among  their  earlier  publica- 
tions, and  one  that  has  contributed  as  large  a  propor- 
tion of  its  contents  to  the  general  stock  of  standard 
Wesleyan  hymnology  as  any  other  one  of  their  poetical 
works.  In  the  absence  of  any  knowledge  of  his  reasons 
for  so  doing,  we  cannot  but  regard  the  omission  as 
surprising,  especially  as  the  book  contains  several  of 
the  finest  hymns  of  the  brothers,  and  one  that  has  at- 
tracted as  much  attention  as  any  other  in  the  Methodist 
Hymn-book.     The  hymn  alluded  to  is — 

"  How  happy  is  the  pilgrim's  lot !"  &c, 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  145 

which  was  evidently  written  by  Mr.  John  Wesley.* 
This  hymn  has  been  admired  by  thousands  not  known 
by  the  name  of  Methodists,  with  whom  it  has  always 
been  a  great  favorite,  as  well  on  account  of  the  remark- 
able character  of  its  sentiments,  as  the  elegant  simplicity 
of  its  diction.  Throughout  the  composition  the  author 
has  made  personal  reference  to  himself.  His  opinions 
upon  the  subject  of  matrimony,  at  one  time  of  life,  are 
well  known  to  all  acquainted  with  his  history ;  and  this 
hymn  was  published  about  five  years  before  his  un- 
happy union  with  his  wife,  at  a  period  when  he  had 
probably  no  intention  of  ever  entering  the  marriage 
state,  and  breathes  only  the  language  of  one  who  had 
devoted  to  God,  as  he  had  done,  his  ease,  his  time,  his 
life,  his  reputation.  There  are  traits  about  it  which 
cannot  be  mistaken.  See,  for  instance,  verses  four,  five, 
and  six ;  but  there  is  another  verse,  which  has  been 
omitted  from  our  Hymn-book,  that  is  still  more  charac- 
teristic of  the  author's  sentiments,  at  the  time  of  life 
when  it  was  written.     It  runs  thus, — 

"  I  have  no  sharer  of  my  heart, 
To  rob  my  Saviour  of  a  part, 

And  desecrate  the  whole : 
Only  betroth'd  to  Christ  am  I, 
And  wait  his  coming  from  the  sky, 

To  wed  my  happy  soul." 

Some  of  the  expressions  in  this  stanza  are  very  simi- 
lar to  many  found  in  Moravian  hymns,  and  may  have 
resulted  from  his  intimate  intercourse  with  those  people 
in  the  early  part  of  his  ministry  ;  but  there  is  nothing 

*  It  has  been  inserted  in  that  truly  delectable  work,  "  Chee- 
ver's  Lectures  on  the  Pilgrim's  Progress;"  but  without  any 
intimation  that  it  was  written  by  the  founder  of  Methodism. 

7 


146  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

in  the  above  stanza  half  so  objectionable  as  sentiments 
that  abound  in  old  Moravian  Hymn-books. 
From  that  excellent  hymn, 

"  Jesus,  my  strength  and  righteousness," 
six  verses  have  been  omitted.     They  are  as  follow  : — 

"  This  is  the  saving  power  of  God  : 

"Whoe'er  this  word  receive, 
Feel  all  th'  effects  of  Jesus'  blood, 

And  sensibly  believe. 
Saved  from  the  guilt  and  power  of  sin, 

By  instantaneous  grace, 
They  trust  to  have  thy  life  brought  in, 

And  always  see  thy  face. 

"  The  pure  in  heart  thy  face  shall  see, 

Before  they  hence  remove ; 
Redeem'd  from  all  iniquity, 

And  perfected  in  love. 
This  is  the  great  salvation  ;  this 

The  prize  at  which  we  aim, 
The  end  of  faith,  the  hidden  bliss, 

The  new  mysterious  Name. 

"  The  Name  inscribed  in  the  white  stone, 

The  unbeginning  Word, 
The  mystery  so  long  unknown, 

The  secret  of  the  Lord  ; 
The  living  bread  sent  down  from  heaven, 

The  saints'  and  angels'  food — 
Th'  immortal  seed,  the  little  leaven, 

The  effluence  of  God  ! 
"  The  tree  of  life,  that  blooms  and  grows 

In  midst  of  paradise, 
The  pure  and  living  stream,  that  flows 

Back  to  its  native  skies : 
The  Spirit's  law,  the  cov'nant  seal, 

Th'  Eternal  Righteousness ; 
The  glorious  joy  unspeakable, 

Th'  unutterable  peace ! 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  147 

1  The  treasure  of  tlie  gospel  field, 

The  wisdom  from  above, 
Hid  from  the  wise,  to  babes  reveal'd, 

The  precious  pearl  of  love ; 
The  mystic  power  of  godliness, 

The  cud  of  death  and  sin, 
The  antepast  of  heavenly  bliss, 

The  kingdom  fix'd  within. 

"  The  morning  star,  that,  glittering  bright, 

Shines  to  the  perfect  day, 
The  Sun  of  righteousness — the  Light, 

The  Life,  the  Truth,  the  Way: 
The  image  of  the  living  God, 

His  nature  and  his  mind, 
Himself  he  hath  on  us  bestow'd, 

And  all  in  Christ  we  find." 

In  this  volume  first  appeared  Charles  Wesley's 
celebrated  poem,  entitled,  "  The  True  Use  of  Music," 
commencing, 

"  Listed  into  the  cause  of  sin, 
Why  should  a  good  be  evil  ? 
Music,  alas  !  too  long  has  been 
Press'd  to  obey  the  devil/' 

This  hymn  has  been  set  to  a  beautiful  tune  by  the 
Rev.  W.  P.  Burgess,  of  the  Wesleyan  Conference. 

In  the  year  1747  was  issued  the  second  edition  of  a 
tract  of  thirty-six  pages,  entitled  "  Hymns  of  Petition 
and  Thanksgiving  for  the  Promise  of  the  Father. 
By  the  Rev.  Mr.  John  and  Charles  Wesley."  These 
hymns,  as  the  title  indicates,  were  intended  to  be  used 
on  the  festival  of  Whitsuntide,  and  are  thirty-two  in 
number.  The  following  seven  have  been  transferred 
to  the  Methodist  Hvmn-book  ; — 


148  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

632.  Arm  of  the  Lord,  awake,  awake,  The  terrors. 

39.  Come,  Holy,  Celestial  Dove. 

658.  Eternal  Spirit,  come  Into  thy  meanest  home. 
366.  Father  of  everlasting  grace. 

659.  Father,  glorify  thy  Son. 

656.  Jesus,  we  on  thy  word  depend. 
105.  Spirit  of  faith,  come  down. 

The  subjoined  stanzas  are  the  last  half  of  a  hymn 
from  this  tract,  founded  upon  John  xiv,  16  : — 

"  In  vain  the  world  as  madness  brands 
Our  gospel  hope,  which  cannot  fail, 
The  promise  of  the  Father  stands, 
And  mocks  the  rage  of  earth  and  hell. 

"  Th'  apostates  toil  with  fruitless  pain 
The  Word  of  none  effect  to  prove, 
T'  exclude  thee  from  the  heart  of  man, 
And  drive  thee  to  thy  saints  above. 

<:  The  Spirit  himself  thou  wilt  not  give, 
Thy  truth  and  mercy  they  blaspheme, 
Without  his  inspiration  live, 

And  call  it  all  a  madman's  dream. 

"  The  grace,  but  not  the  Spirit  of  grace, 
Their  learned  fools  vouchsafe  t'  allow ; 
He  might  be  given  in  ancient  days, 
But  God,  they  teach,  is  needless  now. 

"  But  God,  we  know,  is  giv'n  indeed, 
And  still  cloth  in  his  people  dwell ; 
And  him  we  every  moment  need, 
And  him  we  every  momentyee/. 

"  The  life  of  our  indwelling  God 
We  feel  by  faith's  internal  sense, 
Our  hearts  he  makes  his  bless'd  abode, 
And  who  shall  force  the  Saviour  thence  ? 


MK1II0DIST    HYMNOLOGY.  H9 

"  Believing  still  in  Jesus'  name, 

The  witness  in  ourselves  we  know, 
And  tell  the  world  they  all  may  claim 
The  gift,  and  dwell  with  God  below. 

"  The  Holy  Ghost,  whom  we  partake, 
To  all  that  ask  is  freely  given ; 
And  lo  !  on  this  great  truth  we  stake 
Our  present  and  eternal  heaven." 

The  same  year  was  also  published  the  second  edi- 
tion of  a  tract,  containing  seven  hymns  and  eleven 
pages,  entitled  "  Hymns  for  Ascension  Day."  One 
hymn  was  taken  from  this  tract : — 

652.  God  is  gone  up  on  high. 
The  hymn  beginning, 

"  Angels,  rejoice  in  Jesus'  grace," 
in  the  Hymn-book  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South,  and  the 
following  two  in  the  Wesleyan  Collection, — 

"  Sinners,  rejoice,  your  peace  is  made," 
"  Jesus,  to  thee  we  fly," — 

were  derived  from  the  same  source.  The  last-men- 
tioned hymn  is  subjoined,  the  fourth  and  fifth  verses  of 
which  are  in  Charles  Wesley's  most  impassioned  man- 
ner— a  style  attempted  by  no  other  poet,  but  which 
seems  perfectly  natural  to  him : — 

"  Jesus,  to  thee  we  fly, 

On  thee  for  help  rely  : 
Thou  our  only  refuge  art, 

Thou  dost  all  our  fears  control, 
Rest  of  every  troubled  heart, 

Life  of  every  dying  soul. 

"  We  lift  our  joyful  eyes, 
And  see  the  dazzling  prize, 


150  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

See  the  purchase  of  thy  blood, 

Freely  now  to  sinners  given ; 
Thou  the  living  way  hast  show'd, 

Thou  to  us  hast  open'd  heaven. 

"  We  now  divinely  bold 

Of  thy  reward  lay  hold  ; 
All  thy  glorious  joy  is  ours, 

All  the  treasures  of  thy  love  ; 
Now  we  taste  the  heavenly  powers, 

Now  we  reign  with  thee  above. 

"  Our  anchor  sure  and  fast 

Within  the  veil  is  cast ; 
Stands  our  never-failing  hope 

Grounded  in  the  holy  place, 
We  shall  after  Thee  mount  up, 

See  the  Godhead  face  to  face. 

"  By  faith  already  there, 

In  thee  our  Head  we  are, 
With  our  great  Forerunner,  we 

Now  in  heavenly  places  sit, 
Banquet  with  the  Deity, 

See  the  world  beneath  our  feet. 

"  Thou  art  our  flesh  and  bone, 

Thou  art  to  heaven  gone  ! 
Gone,  that  we  might  all  pursue, 

Closely  in  thy  footsteps  tread, 
Gone,  that  we  might  follow  too, 

Reign  triumphant  with  our  Head." 

The  third  edition  of  "  Hymns  for  our  Lord's  Re- 
surrection," appeared  in  the  year  1748.  This  is  a 
tract  of  twenty-three  pages,  and  sixteen  hymns,  the 
last  of  which  is  "  for  Ascension  Day."  Two  hymns  in 
the  Methodist  Hymn-book  are  from  this  source : — 

259.  Rejoice,  the  Lord  is  King ! 
650.  Father,  God,  we  glorify. 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  151 

And  another  in  the  Wcsleyan, — 

"  Come,  then,  thou  prophet  of  the  Lord." 

There  is  a  most  excellent  hymn  in  this  tract,  founded 
upon  a  portion  of  the  "Litany,"  in  the  Book  of  Com- 
mon Prayer,  which  we  venture  to  insert  entire,  notwith- 
standing its  length,  feeling  assured  that  no  admirer  of 
genuine  Wcsleyan  poetry  will  be  offended.  The  fol- 
lowing is  the  passage  from  the  Litany : — 

"  By  the  mystery  of  thy  holy  incarnation ;  by  thy 
holy  nativity  and  circumcision ;  by  thy  baptism,  fast- 
ing, and  temptation ;  by  thine  agony  and  bloody  sweat ; 
by  thy  cross  and  passion ;  by  thy  precious  death  and 
burial ;  by  thy  glorious  resurrection  and  ascension ; 
and  by  the  coming  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  good  Lord, 
deliver  us." 

"  Jesus,  show  us  thy  salvation, 

(In  thy  strength  we  strive  with  thee,) 
By  thy  mystic  incarnation, 

By  thy  pure  nativity  ; 
Save  us  thou,  our  new  Creator, 

Into  all  our  souls  impart 
Thy  divine,  unsinning  nature, 
Form  thyself  within  our  heart. 

"  By  thy  first  hlood-shedding  heal  us  ; 

Cut  us  off  from  every  sin, 
By  thy  circumcision  seal  us, 

Write  thy  law  of  love  within  j 
By  thy  Spirit  circumcise  us, 

Kindle  in  our  hearts  a  flame ; 
By  thy  baptism  now  baptize  us 

Into  all  thy  glorious  name. 

"  By  thy  fasting  and  temptation 
Mortify  our  vain  desires, 
Take  away  what  sense  or  passion, 
Appetite  or  flesh,  requires ; 


152  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Arm  us  with  thy  self-denial, 
Every  tempted  soul  defend, 

Save  us  in  the  fiery  trial, 
Make  us  faithful  to  the  end. 

"  By  thy  sorer  suff 'rings  save  us, 

Save  us  when  conform'd  to  thee  5 
By  thy  miseries  relieve  us, 

By  thy  painful  agony : 
When  beneath  thy  frown  we  languish, 

When  we  feel  thine  anger's  weight, 
Save  us  by  thine  unknown  anguish, 

Save  us  by  thy  bloody  sweat. 

"  By  that  highest  point  of  passion, 

By  thy  suff 'ring  on  the  tree, 
Save  us  from  the  indignation 

Due  to  all  mankind  and  me  : 
Hanging,  bleeding,  panting,  dying, 

Gasping  out  thy  latest  breath, 
By  thy  precious  death's  applying, 

Save  us  from  eternal  death. 

"  From  the  world  of  care  release  us, 

By  thy  decent  burial  save, 
Crucified  with  thee,  0  Jesus, 

Hide  us  in  thy  quiet  grave ; 
By  thy  power  divinely  glorious, 

By  thy  resurrection's  power, 
Raise  us  up  o'er  sin  victorious, 

Raise  us  up  to  sin  no  more. 

"  By  the  pomp  of  thine  ascending, 

Live  we  here  to  heaven  restor'd, 
Live  in  pleasures  never  ending, 

Share  the  portion  of  our  Lord ; 
Let  us  have  our  conversation 

With  the  blessed  spirits  above, 
Saved  with  all  thy  great  salvation, 

Perfectly  rcnew'd  in  love. 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  153 

<:  Glorious  Head,  triumphant  Saviour, 

High  enthroned  above  ;ill  height, 
We  have  now  through  thee  found  favor, 

Righteous  in  thy  Father's  sight; 
Hears  lie  not  thy  prayer  unceasing? 

Can  he  turn  away  thy  face? 
Scud  us  down  the  purchased  blessing, 

Fullness  of  the  gospel  grace. 

"  By  the  coming  of  thy  Spirit, 

As  a  mighty  rushing  wind, 
Save  us  into  all  thy  merit, 

Into  all  thy  sinless  mind  ; 
Let  the  perfect  grace  be  given, 

Let  thy  will  in  us  be  seen, 
Done  on  earth  as  'tis  in  heaven, 

Lord,  thy  Spirit  cries,  Amen  !" 

All  the  Hymn-books,  except  their  first  one,  published 
by  the  Wesleys  previous  to  the  year  1741,  bore  on  the 
title-page  the  names  of  both  brothers  ;  but  this  year 
was  issued  from  the  press  a  small  volume,  entitled, 
"  A  Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns,"  by  John 
Wesley,  alone.  This  volume  reached  its  third  edition 
previous  to  the  year  1748,  and  was  reissued  in  England 
by  Mr.  Wesley,  in  the  year  1784,  with  the  title,  "A 
Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  the  Lord's  Day. 
Published  by  John  Wesley,  A.  M.,  late  Fellow  of  Lin- 
coln College,  Oxford  ;  and  Charles  Wesley,  A.  M.,  late 
Student  of  Christ  Church,  Oxford,"  and,  together  with. 
an  Abridgment  of  the  Liturgy  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, was  sent  over  to  America,  for  the  use  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States.  The 
second,  and  last  edition,  was  published  by  Mr.  Wesley, 
and  sent  over  in  the  year  1786  ;  but  the  book  was  little 
used  by  the  Methodists,  and  a  copy  of  it  is  now  seldom 


154  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

to  be  seen.  The  writer  has,  for  some  years,  been  seek- 
ing for  the  work,  but  has  failed  to  procure  a  complete 
volume  ;  an  imperfect  copy  of  the  first  edition  being  all 
that  has  yet  rewarded  his  labors.  About  thirty-five 
hymns  only  were  transferred  from  this  work  to  the 
Hymn-book  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

In  the  year  1788  the  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  the 
Lord's  Day  were  again  republished  by  Mr.  Wesley  ; 
the  occasion  of  which  is  explained  in  the  following 
quotation  from  Mr.  Roberts's  veryable  and  interesting 
tract,  entitled  "  Hymnology,"  published  at  Bristol,  in 
the  year  1808,  "with  particular  reference  to  the  pro- 
priety of  having  an  additional  volume  of  hymns,  for 
general  worship  among  the  people  called  Methodists." 
"That  book,"  says  he,  alluding  to  Mr.  Wesley's  large 
Hymn-book,  "  was  not  introduced  by  him  in  London, 
Bristol,  or  any  place,  when  the  liturgy  was  read,  and 
service  performed  by  him  in  canonical  hours.  For  that 
occasion,  from  almost  the  commencement  of  Methodism, 
a  collection  of  '  Psalms  and  Hymns '  had  been  used ; 
which,  though  small,  Mr.  Wesley  well  appreciated,  so 
far  as  it  goes,  for  its  adaptation  to  general  worship,  the 
subjects  being  chiefly  praise  and  adoration.  And  there- 
fore, many  years  after  he  had  published  the  Hymn- 
book,  (1780,)  when  he  made  the  abridgment  of  the 
liturgy,  (1788,)  and  gave  it  to  the  world  as  '  The  Sun- 
day Service  of  the  Methodists,'  he  printed  with  this 
service,  in  a  continuation  of  pages,  a  new  edition  of  the 
'Psalms  and  Hymns  for  the  Lord's  Day.'" 

This  extract  throws  some  light  upon  Mr.  Wesley's 
views  of  the  relative  importance  of  the  service  of  "  the 
Church,"  and  Methodist  service,  which  was  seldom  held 
in   "canonical  hours,"    and   which,  according    to    the 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  155 

showing-  of  the  large  Minutes  of  the  conference,  was 
"  public  worship "  only  "  in  a  sense,  but  not  such 
as  supersedes  the  Church  service."  Such  was  the 
opinion  of  Mr.  Wesley,  and  the  body  of  preachers  in 
connection  with  him  ;  but  the  English  Methodists,  since 
the  death  of  their  father  and  founder,  have  assumed 
their  proper  position  of  a  separate  and  independent 
church,  and  no  longer  deem  it  either  their  duty  or  in- 
terest to  consider  themselves  any  "  part  or  parcel "  of 
the  national  Church  Establishment. 

From  the  above  account  it  will  appear,  that  the 
Psalms  and  Hymns  for  many  years  held  a  very  con- 
spicuous place  among  the  various  instrumentalities, 
used  by  the  Wesleys,  for  promoting  the  spread  of  what 
the  world  has  been  pleased  to  stigmatize  with  the  name 
of  Methodism. 

In  the  year  1748  was  published  a  fourth  edition  of 
the  Psalms  and  Hymns,  enlarged,  by  the  introduction 
of  some  of  Charles  Wesley's  versified  paraphrases  of 
the  Psalms,  and  his  name,  as  well  as  his  brother's,  in- 
serted in  the  title-page.  Eleven  editions  of  this  work 
appeared  during  Mr.  John  Wesley's  lifetime. 

The  two  collections  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  thus 
noticed,  are  the  same  referred  to  in  the  "Advertise- 
ment" to  the  Supplement  added  in  1830  to  the  English 
llvmn-book,  as  "  The  Morning  Hymn-booh,  prepared 
by  Mr.  Wesley  for  the  London  congregations,  or  in  a 
smaller  collection  published  by  him." 

The  "  enlarged"  edition  of  the  Psalms  and  Hymns, 
published  in  1*748,  is  a  volume  of  one  hundred  and  forty- 
eight  pages,  and  was  written  almost  entirely  by  Dr. 
Watts  and  Charles  Wesley  ;  but  there  are  a  few  hymns 
by  Samuel  Wesley,  Jun.,  Addison,  Tate  and  Brady,  and 


156  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Dryden ;  and  a  few  are  from  the  pen  of  John  Wesley 
himself,  but  only  two  or  three  of  them  can  be  distin- 
guished from  those  of  his  brother.  The  first  lines  of 
such  hymns  as  are  found  both  in  this  volume  and  in  the 
Methodist  Hymn-book  are  subjoined.  It  is  gratifying  to 
know  that  the  following  hymns  by  Dr.  Watts  had  the 
sanction  and  revision  of  Mr.  John  Wesley : — 

130.  All  glory  to  the  dying  Lamb. 

276.  Almighty  Maker,  God. 

554.  And  must  this  body  die. 

266.  Before  Jehovah's  awful  throne. 

129.  Come,  Holy  Spirit,  heavenly  Dove. 

252.  Come  ye  that  love  the  Lord. 

269.  Come  let  us  join  our  cheerful  songs. 

212.  Eternal  Power,  whose  high  abode. 

203.  Eternal  Wisdom,  Thee  we  praise. 
201.  Father,  how  wide  thy  glory  shines. 
115.  Great  God,  indulge  my  humble  claim. 

692.  God  is  a  name  my  soul  adores.  ■ 
27.  How  sad  our  state  by  nature  is. 

262.  I  '11  praise  my  Maker  while  I  've  breath. 
246.  Jesus,  thou  everlasting  King. 

140.  Lord,  all  I  am  is  known  to  Thee. 

263.  Let  every  tongue  thy  goodness  speak. 
45.  My  drowsy  powers,  why  sleep  ye  so  1 

261.  My  God,  the  spring  of  all  my  joys. 
553.  0  God,  our  help  in  ages  past. 

264.  Praise  ye  the  Lord,  'tis  good  to  raise. 

204.  Praise  ye  the  Lord,  ye  immortal  choirs. 
550.  Thee  we  adore,  eternal  Name. 

693.  The  Lord  Jehovah  reigns. 

651.  What  equal  honors  shall  we  bring. 
379.  With  joy  we  meditate  the  grace. 
44.  Why  should  the  children  of  a  King. 

Two  hymns  are  by  John  Wesley  : 

120.  O,  Sun  of  righteousness,  arise. 
496.  AVe  lift  our  hearts  to  Thee. 


METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY.  157 

The  following  are  by  Charles  Wesley: — 

49.  Lord  Jesus,  when,  when  shall  it  be. 

131.  Father,  I  stretch  my  hands  to  thee. 

189.  Of  Him  who  did  salvation  bring. 

497.  All  praise  to  Him  who  dwells  in  bliss. 

523.  Our  Lord  is  risen  from  the  dead. 

202.  When  Israel  out  of  Egypt  came. 

172.  To  the  hills  I  lift  mine  eyes. 

By  Addison  : — 

75.  "When  rising  from  the  bed  of  death. 
388.  The  Lord  my  pasture  shall  prepare. 
377.  When  all  thy  mercies,  0  my  God. 

By  S.  Wesley,  Jun.  :— 

522.  The  Lord  of  sabbath  let  us  praise. 
689.  Hail,  Father,  whose  creating  call. 

By  Tate  and  Brady  : — 

619.  With  glory  clad,  with  strength  array'd. 

By  Dryden  : — 

655.  Creator,  Spirit,  by  whose  aid. 

The  following  hymns  in  the  Hymn-book  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  are  by  Charles 
Wesley : — 

"  Again  the  kind  revolving  year." 

"  Behold  how  good  a  thing." 

"  Father  of  mercies,  hear  our  prayers." 

"  Grace  every  morning  new." 

"Hail,  holy,  holy,  holy  Lord." 

"  O  Thou,  who  when  I  did  complain." 

t;  The  earth,  and  all  her  fullness  owns." 

t:  Who  in  the  Lord  confide." 

By  Samuel  Wesley,  Jun.  : — 

"  From  whence  these  dire  portents  around  ?" 
"  Hail,  God  the  Son,  in  glory  crownd." 
"  Hail,  Holy  Ghost,  Jehovah,  third." 
"  The  Sun  of  righteousness  appears." 


158  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

Three  hymns  in  the  Wesleyan  Hymn-book  are  also 
from  the  "  Psalms  and  Hymns,"  and  were  written  by 
Charles  Wesley : — 

"  My  heart  is  full  of  Christ,  and  longs." 
"  My  heart  is  fix'd,  0  God,  my  heart." 
"  Out  of  the  depth  of  self-despair." 

Although  there  is  sufficient  reason  to  believe  that 
Mr.  John  Wesley  had  a  higher  opinion  of  his  brother's 
than  of  Watts's  poetry,  yet,  the  great  number  of  hymns 
in  the  volume  under  examination,  by  the  latter  author, 
proves  conclusively  that  Mr.  Wesley  envied  not  the  doc- 
tor's already  far-extended  reputation.  Indeed,  nothing 
like  rivalry  or  envy  ever  interposed  a  barrier  between 
these  two  great  and  good  men ;  but  while  Mr.  Wesley 
proved  to  the  world  that  he  properly  appreciated  the  ex- 
cellent hymns  of  Watts,  by  publishing  them  in  his  Hymn- 
books  for  the  use  of  his  congregations,  the  doctor,  on 
his  part,  was  not  backward  to  affirm  that  he  considered 
Charles  Wesley's  hymns  far  superior  to  his  own.  The 
expression  of  such  a  sentiment  by  Dr.  Watts,  whether 
correct  or  not,  is  the  greatest  compliment  he  could  pay 
the  Methodist  poet. 

The  volume  contains  fourteen  hymns  for  charity  chil- 
dren, but  especially  "  for  the  Georgia  orphans,"  doubt- 
less intended  to  promote  Mr.  Whitefield's  benevolent 
plans  in  reference  to  Ms  Orphan  House,  as  well  as  to  pro- 
duce in  the  hearts  of  the  orphans  themselves  a  spirit  of 
piety  and  thankfulness.  It  is  strange  that  these  delight- 
ful compositions  have  not  found  their  way  into  some  of 
the  numerous  collections  of  hymns  for  children,  which, 
of  late  years,  have  so  greatly  multiplied.  Pity  the 
contents  of  some  of  them  were  not  more  worthy  of  the 
pious  intentions  of  their  authors,  and  the  important  ob- 


METHODIST   HTMNOLOGY.  159 

jects  they  arc  intended  to  accomplish.  There  is  in  this 
respect  a  mine  of  pure  Wesleyan  ore,  yet  unopened,  in 
reservation  for  the  Methodist  Church.  How  far  she  is 
culpable  fur  not  having  corked  this  mine,  Ave  will  not  pre- 
sume to  say ;  but  when  we  come  to  consider  C.  Wesley's 
"  Hymns  for  Children,"  it  will  afford  a  suitable  opportu- 
nity to  express  an  opinion  on  this  all-important  subject. 
The  reader  will  now  have  an  opportunity  to  judge  of 
the  merits  of  these  hymns  by  a  few  specimens : 

Come  let  us  join  our  God  to  bless, 

And  praise  him  evermore  ; 
The  Father  of  the  fatherless, 

The  helper  of  the  poor. 

Our  dying  parents  us  forsake  ; 

His  mercy  takes  us  up, 
Kindly  vouchsafes  his  own  to  make, 

And  God  becomes  our  hope. 

For  us  he  in  the  wilderness 

A  table  hath  prepared ; 
Us,  whom  his  love  delights  to  bless, 

His  providence  to  guard. 

Known  unto  him  arc  all  our  needs ; 

And  when  we  sec  his  face, 
His  open  hand  our  bodies  feeds, 

Our  souls  he  feels  with  grace. 

Then  let  us  in  his  service  spend 

What  we  from  him  receive; 
And  back  to  him  what  he  shall  send 

In  thanks  and  praises  give. 

FOR   THEIR   BENEFACTORS. 

Father  of  mercies,  hear  our  prayer 

For  those  that  do  us  good ; 
Whose  love  for  us  a  place  prepares, 

And  gives  the  orphans  food. 


160  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Their  alms,  iu  blessings  on  their  head, 

A  thousandfold  restore ; 
O  feed  their  souls  with  living  bread, 

And  let  their  cup  run  o'er. 

For  ever  in  thy  Christ  built  up, 

Thy  bounty  let  them  prove, 
Steadfast  hi  faith,  joyful  through  hope, 

And  rooted  deep  in  love. 

For  those  who  kindly  founded  this, 

A  better  house  prepare  ; 
Remove  them  to  thy  heavenly  bliss, 

And  let  us  meet  them  there. 

BEFORE    GOING    TO    WORK. 
Let  us  go  forth,  'tis  God  commands, 

Let  us  make  haste  away ; 
Offer  to  Christ  our  hearts  and  hands, 

We  work  for  Christ  to-day. 

"When  he  vouchsafes  our  hands  to  use, 

It  makes  the  labor  sweet ; 
If  any  now  to  work  refuse, 

Let  not  the  sluggard  eat, 

"Who  would  not  do  what  God  ordains, 

And  promises  to  bless  1 
"Who  would  not  'scape  the  toils  and  pains 

Of  sinful  idleness  1 

In  vain  to  Christ  the  slothful  pray, 

"We  have  not  learn' d  him  so  ; 
No;  for  he  calls  himself  the  "Way, 

And  work'd  himself  below. 

Then  let  us  in  his  footsteps  tread, 

And  gladly  act  our  part ; 
On  earth  employ  our  hands  and  head, 

But  give  him  all  our  heart. 

How  exceedingly  honorable  are  these  hymns  to  the 
character  of  Mr.  Charles  Wesley !     True,  he  and  Mr. 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  161 

Whitefield  differed  upon  some  doctrinal  subjects,  yet  they 
were  one  in  heart  and  affection ;  and  heartily  did  Wes- 
ley enter  into  the  spirit  of  his  friend's  benevolent  plans, 
and  do  all  in  his  power  to  promote  them.  What  a 
noble  example  of  Christian  forbearance  and  charity 
does  such  conduct  exhibit  to  the  followers  of  a  common 
Saviour !  Would  that  it  were  more  generally  adopted  ! 
The  following  verse  from  the  eighth  Psalm,  contain- 
ing a  remarkably  literal  translation,  is  inserted  as  a  spe- 
cimen of  the  psalms,  and  for  the  gratification  of  the 
reader : — 

"  Jesus,  his  Redeemer,  dies, 

The  sinner  to  restore  ; 
Falls  that  man  may  rise  again, 

And  stand  as  heretofore  ; 
Foremost  of  all  created  things, 

Head  of  all  thy  works  he  stood, 
Nearest  the  great  King  of  kings, 

And  little  less  than  God  /" 

There  is  a  note  referring  to  the  italicized  words  in  the 
last  line,  which  says,  "  So  it  is  in  the  Hebrew." 

About  the  close  of  the  year  1*749,  Mr.  Charles 
Wesley  published  two  additional  volumes  of  "  Hymns 
and  Sacred  Poems."  The  Hymn-books  which  he  and 
his  brother  had  before  given  to  the  public,  bore  their 
joint  names  ;  but  there  was  no  other  intimation  respect- 
ing the  authorship  of  the  different  compositions.  The 
reader  is  not  informed  which  were  written  by  John,  and 
which  by  Charles.  The  two  volumes  which  were  now 
first  published,  bore  Charles's  name  only,  and  were 
thus  authenticated  as  his  own. 

The  friendship  which  subsisted  between  the  two  bro- 


162  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

thcrs  was  of  the  purest  kind.  They  had  no  jealousy  of 
rivalship,  and  neither  of  them  claimed,  previous  to  this 
time,  the  honor  of  his  own  productions.  The  superior 
merit  of  their  hymns  was  felt  by  every  reader  of  taste 
and  judgment.  In  strength  and  elegance  of  diction,  in 
poetic  beauty,  and  in  manliness  of  thought,  they  sur- 
passed all  similar  compositions  that  had  ever  appeared 
in  the  English  language. 

The  writer  has  seen  two  copies,  one  of  the  first,  the 
other  of  the  second,  edition  of  this  work.  The  first 
edition,  as  above  stated,  was  published  in  the  year  1*749, 
and  is  without  either  preface  or  index ;  the  second  ap- 
peared in  the  years  1*755  and  1756,  with  the  addition 
of  an  index  to  the  hymns,  and  a  table  of  contents.  It 
is  unknown  to  the  writer  if  any  other  editions  were  pub- 
lished. They  are  substantial  duodecimo  volumes  of 
nearly  350  pages  each,  and  contain  555  hymns  and 
poems,  many  of  which  are  of  considerable  length. 
While  these  volumes,  says  his  biographer,  exhibit 
Charles  Wesley's  piety  and  genius  to  great  advantage, 
they  throw  much  light  upon  his  personal  history,  and 
his  prevalent  habits  of  thought. 

Some  of  the  poems  are  founded  upon  particular  texts 
of  Scripture  ;  others  express  the  author's  religious  feel- 
ings in  peculiar  states  of  mind ;  not  a  few  were  written 
upon  special  occasions,  as  the  death  of  friends,  provi- 
dential deliverances,  the  success  of  the  ministry,  the 
persecution  and  opposition  with  which  he  had  to  con- 
tend. Several  of  them  are  intended  for  persons  in 
peculiar  circumstances,  such  as  ministers  of  the  gospel, 
medical  practitioners,  widows,  the  afflicted,  and  the 
dying.  More  than  one-fourth  of  the  second  volume 
consists  of  "  Hymns  for  Christian  Friends." 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  163 

There  are  two  hymns  "  On  the  Death  of  Thomas 
Beard,"  a  Methodist  preacher,  who  was  impressed  for 
a  soldier,  and  died  in  the  hospital  at  Newcastle;  one  of 
which  may  serve  as  a  specimen  of  these  composures  : — 

"  Soldier  of  Christ,  adieu  ! 

Thy  conflicts  here  are  past, 
Thy  Lord  hath  brought  thee  through, 

And  given  the  crown  at  last : 
Rejoice  to  wear  the  glorious  prize, 
R<  joice  with  God  in  paradise. 

"  There  all  thy  suff'rings  cease, 

There  all  thy  griefs  arc  o'er, 
The  pris'ner  is  at  peace, 

The  mourner  weeps  no  more  ; 
From  man's  oppressive  tyranny 
Thou  liv'st,  thou  liv'st  forever  free. 

"  Torn  from  thy  friends  below 

In  banishment  severe, 
A  man  of  strife  and  wo, 

No  more  thou  wand'rest  here  ; 
Johvd  to  thy  better  friends  above. 
At  rest  in  thy  Redeemer's  love. 

"  No  longer  now  constraint! 

With  human  fiends  to  dwell, 
To  see  their  evil  pain'd, 

Their  blasphemies  to  feel : 
Angels  and  saints  thy  comrades  are, 
And  all  adore  the  Saviour  there. 

"  Thou  canst  not  there  bemoan 

Thy  friends'  or  country's  loss, 
Through  sore  oppression  groan, 

Or  faint  beneath  the  cross  : 
The  joy  hath  swallow'd  up  the  pain, 
And  denth  is  thy  eternal  gain. 

"  What  hath  their  malice  done 
Who  honied  hence  thy  soul  ? 


164  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

When  half  thy  race  was  run, 

They  push'd  thee  to  the  goal ; 
Sent  to  the  souls  supremely  bless'd, 
And  drove  thee  to  thy  earlier  rest. 

"  Thou  out  of  great  distress 
To  thy  reward  art  past, 
Triumphant  happiness, 

And  joys  that  always  last : 
Thanks  be  to  God,  who  set  thee  free, 
And  gave  the  final  victory. 

"  Thy  victory  we  share, 

Thy  glorious  joy  we  feel, 
Parted  in  flesh  we  are, 

But  join'd  in  spirit  still : 
And  still  we  on  our  brethren  call 
To  praise  the  common  Lord  of  all. 

"  Not  for  your  needless  aid, 

Not  for  your  useless  prayers, 
(Jesus  for  us  hath  pray'd, 

And  all  our  burdens  bears  ;) 
Yet  still  on  you  we  call,  and  cry, 
Extol  the  Lord  of  earth  and  sky. 

"  Then  let  us  still  maintain 
Our  fellowship  divine, 
And  till  we  meet  again 

In  Jesus'  praises  join ; 
Thus,  till  we  all  your  raptures  know, 
Sing  you  above,  and  we  below !" 

From  these  volumes  were  transferred  a  large  number 
of  hymns,  which  now  constitute  a  part  of  the  standard 
collection : — 

61.  Author  of  faith,  to  thee  I  cry. 
465.  Are  there  not  in  the  laborer's  day. 
569.  Again  we  lift  our  voice. 
152.  Author  of  faith,  we  seek  thy  face. 
590.  All  things  are  possible  to  him. 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  165 

521.  Away  with  our  fears. 
431.  Ami  let  <>ur  bodies  part. 
356.  And  are  we  yet  alive  ? 
424.  All  thanks  to  the  Lamb. 

86.  Ah,  where  am  I  now?  (2d  part.) 
401.  Angels  your  march  oppose.  (2d  part.) 
427.  Appointed  by  Thee,  We  meet  in  thy  name. 
400.  But,  above  all,  lay  hold.  (2d  part.) 
168.  Bid  me  of  men  beware. 
358.  But  can  it  be  that  I  should  prove. 
315.  Behold  the  servant  of  the  Lord. 

22.  Come,  0  thou  all- victorious  Lord. 
392.  Come  on,  my  partners  in  distress. 
171.  Come,  ye  followers  of  the  Lord. 
327.  Come,  thou  omniscient  Son  of  man. 

413.  Come,  let  us  anew  our  journey  pursue,  With  vigor 
236.  Come,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  Honor 

414.  Come,  let  us  ascend. 

441.  Centre  of  our  hopes  Thou  art. 
688.  Canst  Thou  reject  our  dying  prayer.  (2d  part.) 
5.  Come,  then,  ye  sinners,  to  your  Lord.  (2d  part.) 
508.  Father,  to  thee  I  lift  mine  eyes. 
375.  Father,  my  soul  to  thee  I  lift. 
444.  Father,  at  thy  footstool  see. 
601.  Give  glory  to  Jesus  our  Head. 
108.  God  of  all  grace  and  majesty. 
520.  God  of  my  life,  to  thee. 
162.  God  of  almighty  love. 
46.  God  is  in  this  and  every  place. 
473.  Give  me  the  faith  which  can  remove. 
166.  Gracious  Redeemer,  shake. 
169.  Give  me  a  sober  mind. 
157.  Help,  Lord,  to  whom  for  help  I  fly. 
630.  Head  of  the  church,  whose  Spirit  fills. 

86.  How  happy  are  they. 

87.  How  shall  a  lost  sinner  in  pain. 
556.  Happy  soul,  thy  days  are  ended. 
401 .  Hark  !  how  the  watchmen  cry. 
177.  How  can  a  sinner  know. 

245.  Infinite,  unexhausted  Love. 


16G  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

400.  In  fellowship  ;  alone.  (3d  part.) 
153.  I  want  a  principle  within. 
317.  Jesus,  my  truth,  my  way. 
468.  Jesus,  the  name  high  over  all. 
436.  Jesus,  we  look  to  thee. 
299.  Jesus  comes  with  all  his  grace. 
145.  Jesus,  thou  sovereign  Lord  of  all. 
474.  Jesus,  thou  soul  of  all  my  joys. 
442.  Jesus,  with  kindest  pity  see. 
435.  Jesus,  to  thee  our  hearts  we  lift. 
123.  Jesus,  from  whom  all  blessings  flow. 

51.  Jesus,  thy  far-extended  fame. 

30.  Jesus,  let  thy  pitying  eye. 

96.  Jesus,  I  believe  thee  near. 

393.  Jesus,  great  Shepherd  of  the  sheep. 
478.  Jesus,  the  conq'ror,  reigns. 

419.  Jesus,  Lord,  we  look  to  thee. 
111.  Jesus,  thou  all-redeeming  Lord. 
432.  Lift  up  your  hearts  to  things  above. 
312.  Light  of  life,  seraphic  fire. 
10.  Lovers  of  pleasure  more  than  God. 

394.  Master,  I  own  thy  lawful  claim. 
255.  My  God,  I  am  thine. 

36.  O  Love  divine,  how  sweet  thou  art. 
50.  0  God,  to  whom  in  flesh  reveal'd. 
25.  O  Thou,  whom  once  they  flock'd  to  hear. 
99.  O  God,  thy  righteousness  we  own. 

54.  0  that  I  could  repent,  with  all  my  idols  part. 
29.  O  that  I  could  repent,  O  that  I  could  believe. 

55.  O  that  I  could  revere. 

681.  O  how  shall  a  sinner  perform. 
505.  Omnipresent  God,  whose  aid. 
407.  O  God,  my  hope,  my  heavenly  rest. 
449.  O  Thou,  our  husband,  brother,  friend. 
343.  0  Jesus,  at  thy  feet  we  wait. 
688.  O  Thou  that  hangest  on  the  tree. 
409.  0  God,  thy  faithfulness  I  plead. 
150.  0  let  the  pris'ner's  mournful  cries. 
448.  Our  friendship  sanctify  and  guide. 
404.  Saviour  of  all,  what  hast  thou  done  ? 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  167 

155.  Shepherd  divine,  our  wants  relieve. 
322.  Saviour  of  the  sin-sick  soul. 
434.  Saviour  of  sinful  men. 
42G.  See,  Jesus,  thy  disciples  see. 

70.  Still,  Lord,  I  languish  for  thy  grace. 

52.  Saviour,  Prince  of  Israel's  race. 

40.  Stay,  thou  insulted  Spirit,  stay. 
400.  Soldiers  of  Christ,  arise. 

5.  Sinners,-  obey  the  gospel  word. 
477.  See  how  great  a  flame  aspires. 
405.  Surrounded  by  a  host  of  foes. 
154.  The  praying  spirit  breathe. 
167.  Thou  seest  my  feebleness. 
575.  Thou  God  of  glorious  majesty. 
240.  Thou  hidden  Source  of  calm  repose. 
493.  The  Lord  of  earth  and  sky. 
408.  To  thee,  great  God  of  love,  I  bow. 
376.  Thou,  Jesus,  thou  my  breast  inspire. 
149.  Thee,  Jesus,  full  of  truth  and  grace. 
578.  The  great  archangel's  trump  shall  sound. 
398.  The  earth  is  the  Lord's. 
416.  Thou  God  of  truth  and  love. 
428.  Urge  on  your  rapid  course.  (2d  part.) 

59.  When  my  relief  will  most  display. 

82.  Weary  of  wand'ring  from  my  God. 
291.  What  am  I,  0  thou  glorious  God? 
495.  Where  is  my  God,  my  joy,  my  hope. 
177.  We  by  his  Spirit  prove.  (2d  part.) 

The  following,  in  the  Hymn-book  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South,  are  from  the  same  volumes  : — 

"  Away,  my  needless  fears." 

"  All  praise  to  the  Lamb." 

"  Angel  of  covenanted  grace." 

"  All  praise  to  the  Lord.'' 

"  Come  quickly,  then,  my  Lord,  and  take." 

"  Forth  in  thy  name,  O  Lord,  I  go." 

"  Happy  the  souls  that  firs!  believed." 

"Jesus,  all-atoning  Lamb." 


168  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

"  Jesus,  great  Healer  of  mankind." 

"  Jesus,  the  truth,  and  power  divine." 

"  Join,  all  ye  ransom'd  sons  of  grace." 

"  Peace  be  to  this  habitation." 

"  Rejoice  and  sing." 

"  Wretch  that  I  am,  from  God  I  've  stray'd." 

"  Wherefore  should  I  make  my  moan  ?" 

"  With  all  my  soul,  O  Lord,  I  give." 

"  Ye  neighbors  and  friends,  To  Jesus  draw  near. 

"  Ye  virgin  souls,  arise." 

"  Ye  different  sects,  who  all  declare." 

And  the  following  in  the  English  collection : — 

"  All  ye  that  pass  by." 

"  After  all  that  I  have  done." 

"  Come  all,  whoe'er  have  set." 

"  Come,  let  us  arise." 

"  Forgive  us,  for  thy  mercy  sake." 

"  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  In  solemn." 

"  God  of  all  power  and  grace." 

"  Happy  soul,  that,  safe  from  harms." 

"  Into  a  world  of  ruffians  sent." 

"  Jesus  comes  with  all  his  grace." 

"  Jesus,  soft,  harmonious  name." 

"  Light  of  life,  seraphic  fire." 

"  Let  all  men  rejoice,  By  Jesus  restored." 

"  Lord,  we  thy  will  obey." 

"  My  brethren  beloved,  Your  calling  ye  see." 

"  0  Thou,  who  hast  redeem'd  of  old." 

"  O  Jesus,  my  hope." 

"  O  Jesus,  let  me  bless  thy  name." 

"  O  unexhausted  grace." 

"  O  my  old,  my  bosom  foe." 

"  Pris'ners  of  hope,  arise." 

"  Saviour,  cast  a  gracious  eye." 

"  Saviour,  to  thee  we  humbly  cry." 

"  Shepherd  of  Israel,  hear." 

"  Thus  saith  the  Lord  of  earth  and  heaven." 

"  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  who  seek  the  Lamb." 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  169 

"  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  'tis  God  commands." 
"  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  my  God." 
"  Thy  power  and  saving  grace  to  show." 
"  Two  are  better,  far,  than  one." 

The  shocks  of  the  earthquake  of  March  8th,  1750, 
were  felt  in  England,  and  produced  in  London  particu- 
larly the  utmost  alarm  and  consternation.  It  is  said 
the  earth  moved  westward,  then  cast,  then  westward 
again,  through  all  London  and  Westminster,  producing 
a  strong  jarring  motion,  attended  with  a  rumbling  noise 
like  that  of  thunder.  Many  houses  were  shaken,  and 
some  chimneys  thrown  down,  but  no  persons  lost  their 
lives.  The  terror  that  possessed  the  minds  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  which  continued  for  several  weeks,  was  still 
more  increased  by  a  soldier  who  "  had  a  revelation," 
and  prophesied  that  a  great  part  of  London  would  be 
destroyed  by  an  earthquake,  on  a  certain  night,  between 
the  hours  of  twelve  and  one  o'clock.  In  consequence 
of  which,  multitudes  of  people  fled  from  the  city  and 
sought  safety  in  the  fields,  while  thousands  ran  about 
the  streets  all  night  in  the  most  wild  and  frantic  state 
of  consternation,  crying,  "  An  earthquake  !  an  earth- 
quake !"  many  supposing  that  the  day  of  judgment  was 
about  to  commence. 

In  order  to  improve  and  perpetuate  the  solemn  im- 
pressions which  were  produced  by  this  providential 
visitation,  a  prayer  was  composed,  suited  to  the  occa- 
sion, and  appointed  "by  his  majesty's  special  com- 
mand" to  be  read  in  churches.  Forms  of  prayer, 
"  For  the  Use  of  Families,  on  the  Occasion  of  the  Late 
Earthquakes,  and  other  Judgments  of  God  upon  this 
Nation,"  and  "  A  Letter  to  the  Clergy  and  People  of 
London  and  Westminster,  on  the-  Occasion  of  the  Late 


1V0  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Earthquakes,"  the  latter  by  the  bishop  of  London,  were 
issued  from  the  press  at  the  same  time.  Many  other 
tracts,  bearing  upon  the  same  subject,  were  also  put 
into  circulation,  the  titles  of  some  of  which  may  be 
found  in  Mr.  Jackson's  Life  of  Charles  Wesley,  and  in 
the  Life  and  Times  of  the  Countess  of  Huntingdon. 
In  this  kind  of  service  Charles  Wesley  took  an  active 
and  useful  part.  He  published  his  well-known  ser- 
mon, entitled,  "  The  Cause  and  Cure  of  Earthquakes," 
at  first  anonymously ;  perhaps  that  it  might  find  its 
way,  says  his  biographer,  into  quarters  where  the 
name  of  "  Wesley  "  was  unwelcome :  but  to  the  second 
edition,  which  appeared  in  1*756,  he  prefixed  his 
name.* 

He  also  sent  forth  a  tract,  entitled,  "  Hymns  occa- 
sioned by  the  Earthquake,  March  8th,  1*750,  in  Two 
Parts."  The  hymns  are  nineteen  in  number,  and  are 
written  in  the  author's  peculiar  spirit  and  fervent  piety. 
They  describe,  says  Mr.  Jackson,  "  in  strong  and  glow- 
ing terms,  the  power  and  sovereignty  of  God  ;  his  mer- 
ciful and  righteous  government  over  man  ;  national  and 
personal  sins  ;  the  divine  forbearance  and  long-suffer- 
ing ;  the  uncertainty  of  life,  and  of  all  earthly  posses- 
sions ;  and  the  durable  nature  of  the  joys  which  are 
connected  with  Christian  godliness,  both  in  time  and 
eternity.  The  whole  of  them  are  thoroughly  devotional, 
and  appear  to  have  emanated  from  a  heart  deeply 
affected  with  the  perilous  state  of  the  nation,  arising 

*  This  sermon  appears  in  the  first  volume  of  Mr.  John  Wes- 
ley's Sermons,  without  any  intimation  being  given  that  it  was 
the  production  of  his  brother  !  In  a  volume  of  "  Sermons  by 
the  late  Rev.  Charles  Wesley,"  published  at  London  in  1816,  it 
is  not  found. 


METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY.  l7l 

m  its  cold  formality  and  daring  wickedness  ;  and  in 
•  midst  of  surrounding'  evils  calmly  reposing  in  the 
unchanging  fidelity   and  almighty  power  of  Christ  as 
the  ruler  of  all  worlds. 

"  Flamsteed's  '  Letter,  concerning  Earthquakes,'  was 
now  printed,  apparently  for  the  purpose  of  allaying  the 
public  alarm ;  the  author  confining  his  attention  ex- 
clusively to  second  causes,  and  avoiding  all  reference 
to  God  whatever.  In  opposition  to  the  godless 
speculations  of  such  theorists,  Mr.  Charles  Wesley 
sings  :" — 

"  From  whence  these  dire  portents  around, 
That  strike  us  with  unwonted  fear? 
Why  do  these  earthquakes  rock  the  ground, 

And  threaten  our  destruction  near? 
Ye  prophets  smooth,  the  cause  explain, 
And  lull  us  to  repose  again. 

'"  Or  water  swelling  from  a  vent, 

Or  air  impatient  to  get  free, 
Or  fire  within  earth's  entrails  pent,' 

Yet  all  are  order'd,  Lord,  hy  thee  ; 
The  elements  ohey  thy  nod, 
And  Nature  vindicates  her  God. 

"  The  pillars  of  the  earth  are  thine, 

And  thou  hast  set  the  world  thereon  ; 

They,  at  thy  threatening  look  incline, 
The  centre  trembles  at  thy  frown, 

The  everlasting  mountains  how, 

And  God  is  in  the  earthquake  now. 

"Now,  Lord,  to  shake  a  guilty  land, 
Thou  dost  in  indignation  rise, 
We  sec,  we  see,  thy  lifted  hand 

.Made  bare,  a  nation  to  chastise, 
Whom  neither  plagues  nor  mercies  move, 
To  fear  thy  wrath,  or  court  thy  love. 


172  METHODIST    IIVMNOLOGY. 

"  Therefore  the  earth  beneath  us  reels, 
And  staggers  like  our  drunken  men, 

The  earth  the  mournful  cause  reveals, 
And  groans  our  burden  to  sustain  ; 

Ordain'd  our  evils  to  deplore, 

And  fall  with  us  to  rise  no  more." 

The  exquisitely  beautiful  hymn,  numbered  593  in  the 
Methodist  Hymn-book,  appeared  originally  in  this  tract. 
It  commences, 

"  How  weak  the  thoughts,  and  vain, 

Of  self-deluded  men  ; 
Men  who,  fix'd  to  earth  alone, 

Think  their  houses  shall  endure, 
Fondly  call  their  lands  their  own, 

To  their  distant  heirs  secure !" 

The  following  hymn,  which  has  been  inserted  in  the 
English  collection,  is  also  from  the  same  source : — 

"  Come,  Desire  of  nations,  come  ! 
Hasten,  Lord,  the  general  doom  ! 
Hear  the  Spirit  and  the  Bride  ; 
Come,  and  take  us  to  thy  side. 

"  Thou,  who  hast  our  place  prepared, 
Make  us  meet  for  our  reward ; 
Then  with  all  thy  saints  descend ; 
Then  our  earthly  trials  end. 

"  Mindful  of  thy  chosen  race, 
Shorten  these  vindictive  days  ; 
Who  for  full  redemption  groan, 
Hear  us  now,  and  save  thine  own. 

"  Now  destroy  the  man  of  sin  ; 
Now  thine  ancient  flock  bring  in  ! 
Fill'd  with  righteousness  divine, 
Claim  a  ransom'd  world  for  thine. 


METHODIST    IIVMNOLOGY.  1  73 

"Plant  thy  heavenly  kingdom  here  ; 
Glorious  in  thy  saints  appear, 
Speak  the  sacred  number  scal'd, 
Speak  the  mystery  revcal'd. 

"  Take  to  thee  thy  royal  power, 
Reign,  when  sin  shall  be  no  more  ; 
Reign,  when  death  no  more  shall  be ; 
Reign  to  all  eternity." 

In  the  year  1*753  was  published  the  third  edition 
of  a  tract  of  twelve  pages,  containing  twenty-four 
hymns  and  doxologies,  entitled  "  Gloria  Patri,  &c, 
or,  Hymns  to  the  Trinity."  None  of  these  has  been 
transferred  to  the  collection  of  hymns  used  by  the  Me- 
thodist Episcopal  Church ;  but  other  branches  of  the 
same  Christian  family  have  applied  to  this  source  for  a 
number  of  beautiful  doxologies.  The  hymns  and  dox- 
ologies vary  in  length  from  four  lines  to  four  verses, 
and  embrace  a  great  variety  of  metres.  They,  in  these 
respects,  much  resemble  the  "  Graces  before  and  after 
Meat."     Here  follow  a  few  specimens: — 

"  To  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost, 
One  God  in  persons  three, 
Give  praise,  ye  saints,  and  heavenly  host, 
Through  all  eternity !" 

"  Glory  to  God  on  high ! 

The  God  of  love  and  power, 
Who  made  both  earth  and  sky, 

Let  all  his  works  adore  : 
Praise  to  the  great  Three  One  be  given, 
By  all  in  earth  and  all  in  heaven.'' 

"  Glory  to  God  on  high ! 
Eternally  adored, 


174  METHODIST    ILYMN0L0GY. 

Who  gave  his  Son  to  die, 
Our  dear  redeeming  Lord, 
He  from  his  throne  and  bosom  gave, 
A  world,  a  sinful  world,  to  save." 

"  Worship,  and  praise,  and  power, 
Ascribe  we  to  the  Lamb, 
His  bleeding  wounds  adore, 
And  kiss  his  precious  Name, 
Jesus  !  the  Name  to  sinners  given, 
The  Name  that  lifts  us  up  to  heaven. 

"  That  blessed  Spirit  praise 

Who  shows  th'  atoning  blood, 
Applies  the  Saviour's  grace, 
And  seals  the  sons  of  God  ; 
Spirit  of  grace  and  glory  too, 
He  claims  eternal  praise  his  due." 

"  We  with  our  friends  above, 

When  time  and  death  shall  end, 
In  ecstasies  of  love 

A  heavenly  life  shall  spend, 

Spend  in  the  great  Jeiiovaii's  praise 

An  age  of  everlasting  days." 

Four  doxologies  in  the  Hymn-book  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South,  were  transferred  from  this 
tract.     They  commence  thus, 

"  Sing  we  to  our  God  above." 

"  To  Father,  Son,  and  Spirit." 

"  Shout  to  the  great  Jehovah's  praise." 

"  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost." 

And  the  following  in  the  Wesleyan  collection : — 

"  Father,  live,  by  all  things  fear  d." 

The  circumstances  of  the  British  nation  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  year  1756,  says  Mr.  Jackson,  "were  such 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  1*75 

as  to  excite  the  most  painful  feelings  in  every  pious, 
humane,  and  patriotic  mind.  A  terrible  mortality  had 
just  been  prevalent  among  the  cattle,  in  various  parts 
of  England,  so  as,  in  some  places,  to  leave  scarcely  any 
alive.  Serious  quarrels  were  commenced  between  the 
French  and  English  colonies  in  North  America ;  and 
many  of  the  Protestants  there  were  exposed  to  robbery 
and  murder  from  then*  Romish  neighbors.  Lisbon  had 
just  been  swallowed  up  by  an  earthquake.  France  as- 
sumed a  hostile  attitude  ;  and  her  army,  bent  upon 
plunder,  and  full  of  hatred  to  Protestantism,  threatened 
to  cross  the  channel,  subvert  the  liberties  of  England, 
and  seize  the  property  which  was  there  amassed."  In 
tins  emergency,  the  Methodists  sounded  the  note  of 
warning.  Mr.  Whitefield  published  a  stirring  "  Address 
to  Persons  of  all  Denominations,  occasioned  by  the 
Alarm  of  an  intended  Invasion."  Mr.  John  Wesley, 
at  the  same  time,  issued  his  "  Serious  Thoughts  occa- 
sioned by  the  Late  Earthquake  at  Lisbon,"  and  his  mo- 
dest but  faithful  "  Address  to  the  Clergy."  It  has  been 
well  remarked,  that  if  any  man  in  the  land  was  justly 
authorized  to  admonish  these  unfaithful  watchmen,  it 
was  John  Wesley :  for  no  man  of  his  age  had  either 
done  or  suffered  so  much  for  the  public  welfare,  or  had 
been  so  successful  in  stemming  the  torrent  of  iniquity, 
and  in  turning  men  to  righteousness. 

In  this  crisis  of  national  affairs,  Mr.  Charles  Wesley 
was  not  behind  his  brethren  in  effective  zeal,  though 
his  services  were  of  a  somewhat  different  kind.  He 
published  a  tract  of  twenty-four  pages,  containing  seven- 
teen hymns,  entitled  "Hymns  for  the  Year  1*756. 
Particularly  for  the  Fast  Day,  February  G." 
Several  of  these  hymns  are  of  considerable  length,  and 


1*76  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

in  sublimity  and  force,  says  his  biographer,  are  equal 
to  any  that  ever  proceeded  from  his  pen.  They  ex- 
press the  deepest  sorrow  on  accoimt  of  the  national 
guilt ;  the  profoundest  alarm  at  the  prospect  of  God's 
impending  judgments ;  and  strong  confidence  in  him 
as  the  only  refuge  in  time  of  danger.  Three  of  these 
hymns  have  been  inserted  in  the  Methodist  Hymn- 
book.     They  are, — 

586.  Righteous  God,  whose  vengeful  vials. 
576.  Stand  th'  omnipotent  decree. 
584.  How  happy  are  the  little  flock. 

The  following  stanzas  are  very  striking.  They  con- 
stitute the  fifth  part  of  a  hymn,  in  six  parts,  founded 
upon  the  fourth  chapter  of  Jeremiah's  prophecies  : — 

"  I  saw  the  earth,  by  sin  destroy'd, 

And  lo !  it  lay  wrapp'cl  up  in  night, 
A  chaos  without  form,  and  void, 
And  robb'd  of  all  its  heavenly  light. 

"  I  saw,  and  lo  !  the  mountains  shook, 
The  hills  moved  lightly  to  and  fro, 
The  birds  had  all  the  skies  forsook, 
Nor  man  nor  beast  appear'd  below. 

"  I  saw,  and  lo !  the  fruitful  place 
"Was  to  a  ghastly  desert  turn'd ; 
Beneath  Jehovah's  frowning  face 

The  ghastly  desert  droop'd  and  mourn'd. 

"  The  nation,  suddenly  o'erthrown, 
I  saw  before  the  waster's  sword ; 
The  cities  all  were  broken  down, 
In  presence  of  their  angry  Lord. 

"  For  thus  their  angry  Lord  had  spoke, 
'  The  land  shall  soon  be  all  laid  waste : 
Yet  will  I  to  the  remnant  look, 
And  spare  the  weeping  few  at  last. 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  ill 

'"  I  will  not  utterly  consume, 

Or  make  a  full  destructive  end, 
But  change  my  des'late  people's  doom, 
And  everv  humble  soul  befriend.'" 

This  admirable  tract  soon  passed  to  a  second  edi* 
tion,  in  the  title  of  which  the  reference  to  the  fast  day 
was  omitted.  But  this  was  not  the  only  service  Charles 
Wesley  rendered  to  the  cause  of  religion  in  the  nation 
m  this  season  of  distress.  He  also  reprinted,  with  en- 
largements, "The  Hymns  for  Times  of  Trouble  and 
Persecution,"  which  he  had  composed  during  the 
Rebellion  of  1*745,  as  being  applicable  to  the  present 
state  of  the  country.  At  the  same  time  he  put  to 
press  another  edition  of  his  "  Hymns  on  the  Earth- 
quake of  1750,"  with  three  additions :  one  a  prayer  for 
the  English  in  America ;  another,  on  the  destruction  of 
Lisbon;  and  a  third  for  the  year  1756.  A  part  of 
that  on  the  overthrow  of  Lisbon  has  been  transferred  to 
the  Methodist  Hymn-book,  and  makes  hymns 

581.  Woe  to  the  men  on  earth,  who  dwell. 
583.  By  faith  we  rind  the  place  above. 

"  Such,"  says  Mr.  Jackson,  "  was  the  manner  in  which 
this  man  of  God  aided  the  devotions  of  the  more  reli- 
gious part  of  the  nation,  and  endeavored  to  render  the 
afflictive  dispensations  of  divine  Providence  subservient 
to  the  cause  of  piety,  and  the  improvement  of  the  pub- 
lic morals.  His  hymns,  which  far  surpassed  in  power 
and  correct  versification  all  similar  compositions  that 
had  before  appeared  in  the  English  language,  must 
have  produced  considerable  effect  at  the  time,  adapted 
as  they  were  to  public  events  upon  which  every  eye 
was  intensely  fixed." 

8* 


178  METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY. 

In  the  year  1758,  Charles  Wesley  published  seven 
hymns  for  the  lay  preachers.  The  title  of  this  tract 
was  afterward  altered  to  v  Hymns  for  the  Use  of 
the  Methodist  Preachers."  The  last  of  these  com- 
positions, is  subjoined.     It  is  entitled, 

THE    PREACHER'S    PRAYER  FOR    HIS    FLOCK. 
Shepherd  of  souls,  the  great,  the  good, 
Tor  the  dear  purchase  of  thy  blood 

To  thee  in  faith  we  pray : 
The  lambs  and  sheep  of  England's  fold, 
Now  in  thy  book  of  life  enroll'd, 
Preserve  unto  that  day. 

Whom  thou  by  us  hast  gather'd  in, 
Defend  the  little  flock  from  sin, 

From  error's  path  secure  : 
Stay  with  them,  Lord,  when  we  depart, 
And  guard  the  issues  of  their  heart, 

And  keep  their  conscience  pure. 

Soon  as  their  guides  are  taken  home, 
We  know  the  grievous  wolves  will  come, 

Determined  not  to  spare : 
The  stragglers  from  thy  wounded  side, 
The  wolves  will  into  sects  divide. 

And  into  parties  tear. 

E'en  of  ourselves  shall  men  arise, 
With  words  perverse  and  soothing  lies, 

Our  children  to  beset : 
Disciples  for  themselves  to  make, 
And  draw,  for  filthy  lucre's  sake, 

The  sheep  into  their  net. 

What  then  can  their  protection  be  ? 
The  virtue  that  proceeds  from  Thee, 

The  power  of  humble  love ; 
The  strength  of  all-sufficient  grace 
Received  in  thine  appointed  ways, 

Can  land  them  safe  above. 


METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY.  1*79 

Now,  Saviour,  clothe  them  with  thy  power, 
And  arm  their  souls  against  that  hour 

With  faith  invincible  ; 
Teach  them  to  wield  the  Spirit's  sword, 
And  mighty  in  the  written  word, 

To  chase  both  earth  and  hell. 

When  I,  from  all  my  burdens  freed, 
Am  numbcr'd  with  the  peaceful  dead, 

In  everlasting  rest, 
Pity  the  sheep  I  leave  behind, 
My  God,  unutterably  kind, 

And  lodge  them  in  thy  breast. 

0  never  suffer  them  to  leave 

The  church,  where  Thou  art  pleased  to  give 

Such  tokens  of  thy  grace  ! 
Confirm  them  in  their  calling  here, 
Till  ripe  by  holiest  love  t'  appear 

Before  thy  glorious  face. 
Whom  I  into  thy  hands  commend, 
Wilt  thou  not  keep  them  to  the  end, 

Thou  infinite  in  love  ? 
Assure  me,  Lord,  it  shall  be  so, 
And  let  my  quiet  spirit  go 

To  join  the  church  above. 

Sion,  my  first,  my  latest  care, 
The  burden  of  my  dying  prayer, 

Now  in  thine  arms  I  see  ; 
And  sick  on  earth  of  seeing  more, 

1  hasten  home,  my  God  t'  adore 

Through  all  eternity. 

There  arc  two  tracts  by  the  Wesleys,  entitled  "  Fu- 
neral Hymns,"  although  Mr.  Jackson,  in  his  Life  of 
Charles  Wesley,  lias  noticed  but  one,  the  larger,  the 
com  nits  of  which  lie  attributes  entirely  to  Charles. 
Nor  does  he  seem  to  be  aware  that  there  was  another 
tract  bearing  the  same  title,  as  he  makes  no  mention  of 


180  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

the  fact.  That  which  was  first  published,  the  smaller 
tract,  containing  twenty-four  pages,  has  the  names  of 
both  brothers,  and  the  following  motto,  in  the  title- 
page  : — "  Blessed  are  the  dead  who  die  in  the  Lord." 
Rev.  xiv,  13.  The  third  edition  appeared  in  the  year 
1*753;  the  eighth,  in  1798,  "London:  Printed  for 
George  Whitefield,  City  Road,"  a  copy  of  which  is 
before  the  writer.  It  consists  of  sixteen  hymns,  seven 
of  which  have  been  inserted  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Hymn-book : — 

557.  Ah !  lovely  appearance  of  death. 

541.  Away  with  our  sorrow  and  fear. 
560.  Hosanna  to  Jesus  on  high. 

558.  Eejoice  for  a  brother  deceased. 
669.  0  when  shall  we  sweetly  remove. 

559.  'Tis  finish'd  !  'tis  done  !  the  spirit  is  fled. 

542.  We  know,  by  faith  we  know. 

One  more  in  the  collection  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  South : — 

"  Hosanna  to  God,  In  his  highest  abode." 

Another,  in  the  Wesleyan  Hymn-book,  beginning, 

"  Happy  who  in  Jesus  live ; 
But  happier  still  are  they 
Who  to  God  their  spirits  give, 
And  'scape  from  earth  away." 

The  larger  tract,  containing  seventy  pages,  and  forty- 
three  hymns,  is  completely  anonymous,  the  title  being 
simply  :  "  Funeral  Hymns.  London  :  Printed  in  the 
year  MDCCLIX."  The  entire  contents  of  this  tract 
are  ascribed  to  Charles  Wesley  by  his  biographer, 
who  is  evidently  in  error  in  calling  this  the  "fourth 
edition,  greatly  enlarged,"  of  Charles  Wesley's  Funeral 


METHODIST   IIYMNOLOGY.  181 

Hymns,  there  being  no  such  intimation  on  the  title- 
page  ;  nor  is  there  one  hymn  in  the  smaller  tract  to  be 
found  in  the  larger. 

Here,  for  the  first  time,  appeared  the  three  exquisite 
compositions,  which,  for  sweetness  and  spirituality,  were 
never  surpassed,  beginning, 

274.  How  happy  every  child  of  grace  ; 

555.  And  let  this  feeble  body  fail ; 
and 

"  Come,  let  us  join  our  friends  above." 

Mr.  John  Wesley  once  alluded  to  the  well-known 
remark  of  Dr.  Watts  in  reference  to  Charles  Wesley's 
hymn,  entitled,  "  Wrestling  Jacob,"  and  exclaimed,  "  O 
what  would  Dr.  Watts  have  said  if  he  had  lived  to  see 
my  brother's  exquisite  fimeral  hymns,  beginning, 

"  How  happy  every  child  of  grace ;" 
and 

"  Come;  let  us  join  our  friends  above." 

The  omission  of  the  last-named  hymn  from  our  Hymn- 
book  will  ever  be  a  cause  of  regret  to  all  lovers  of  Wes- 
leyan  hymnology. 

But  this  volume  is  rendered  especially  interesting  by 
the  insertion  of  various  hymns  which  were  written  on 
occasions  of  the  deaths  of  several  pious  individuals,  the 
writer's  personal  friends.  Among  the  number  are  the 
Rev.  J.  Meriton,  J.  Hutchinson,  Thomas  Walsh,  James 
Hervey,  and  others,  male  and  female.  In  the  English 
edition  of  the  Life  of  C.  Wesley,  several  of  those  beau- 
tiful poems  are  given  entire.  The  following  hymn  is 
on  the  death  of  Mr.  Lampe,  "the  converted  infidel  and 
theatrical  musician  ;"  in  which  allusion  is  beautifully 
made  to  his  profession,  and  the  metre  corresponds  with 
the  joyous  character  of  the  sentiments  : — 


182  METHODIST   IIYMNOLOGY. 

'Tis  done  !  the  sovereign  Will 's  obey'd, 
The  soul,  by  angel-guards  convey'd, 

Has  took  its  seat  on  high  ; 
The  brother  of  rny  choice  is  gone, 
To  music  sweeter  than  Ms  own, 

To  concerts  in  the  sky. 

His  spirit  mounting  on  the  wing, 
Rejoiced  to  hear  the  convoy  sing, 

While  harping  at  Ins  side  : 
With  ease  he  caught  their  heavenly  strain, 
And  smiled,  and  sung  in  mortal  pain, 

He  sung,  and  smiled,  and  died. 

Enroll'd  with  that  harmonious  throng, 
He  hears  th'  unutterable  song, 

Th'  unutterable  Name : 
He  sees  the  Master  of  the  choir, 
He  bows,  and  strikes  the  golden  lyre, 

And  hymns  the  glorious  Lamb. 

He  hymns  the  glorious  Lamb  alone; 
No  more  constraint!  to  make  his  moan 

In  this  sad  wilderness, 
To  toil  for  sublunary  pay, 
And  cast  his  sacred  strains  away, 

And  stoop  the  world  to  please. 

Redeem'd  from  earth,  the  tuneful  soul, 
While  everlasting  ages  roll, 

His  triumphs  shall  prolong  ; 
His  noblest  faculties  exert, 
And  all  the  music  of  his  heart 

Shall  warble  on  his  tongue. 

O  that  my  mournful  days  were  past ! 
O  that  I  might  o'ertake  at  last 

My  happy  friend  above ; 
Witli  him  the  church  triumphant  join, 
And  celebrate,  in  strains  divine, 

The  majesty  of  love ! 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  183 

Great  God  of  love,  prepare  my  heart, 
And  tune  it  now  to  bear  a  part 

In  heavenly  melody ; 
"  I  '11  strive  to  sing  as  loud  as  they, 
Who  sit  enthroned  in  brighter  day," 

And  nearer  the  Most  High. 

O  that  the  promised  time  were  come ! 
0  that  we  all  were  taken  home,  . 

Our  Master's  joy  to  share ! 
Draw,  Lord,  the  living  vocal  stones, 
Jesus,  recall  thy  banish'd  ones, 

To  chant  thy  praises  there. 

Our  number  and  our  bliss  complete, 
And  summon  all  the  choir  to  meet 

Thy  glorious  throne  around ; 
The  whole  musician-band  bring  in, 
And  give  the  signal  to  begin, 

And  let  the  trumpet  sound  ! 

There  are  two  hymns  on  the  death  of  Rev.  James 
Hervey,  which  were,  in  all  probability,  composed  imme- 
diately after  that  sad  event  had  occurred,  and  before 
the  injurious  libel,  which  soon  after  wras  published  in  the 
notorious  work,  entitled,  "  Eleven  Letters,"  had  appeared ; 
but  still  containing  a  reference  to  the  peculiar  opinions  of 
which  his  deceased  friend  had  latterly  become  the  advo- 
cate. At  a  subsequent  period,  says  Mr.  Jackson,  Charles 
Wesley  "was  somewhat  indelicately  requested  to  write 
an  epitaph  on  Mr.  Hervey,  probably  to  be  placed  upon  a 
tablet  to  his  memory.  This  service  he  declined,  feeling 
the  deep  and  unprovoked  injury  inflicted  upon  his  bro- 
ther by  the  interpolated  and  dishonest  publication, 
which  was  circulated  through  the  three  kingdoms,  and 
induced  many  uninformed  persons  to  consider  Mr.  John 
Wesley  as  a  pestilent  heretic.     Instead  of  writing  the 


184  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

desired  epitaph,  he  wrote  the   following  pithy  lines, 
which  he  left  among  his  manuscripts : — 

O'erreach'd,  impell'd  by  a  sly  Gnostic's  art, 
To  stab  his  father,  guide,  and  faithful  friend, 

Would  pious  Hervey  act  the  accuser's  part  ? 
And  could  a  life  like  his  in  malice  end  ? 

No  :  by  redeeming  Love  the  snare  is  broke : 
In  death  his  rash  ingratitude  he  blames  ; 

Desires  and  urills  the  evil  to  revoke 

And  dooms  th'  unfinish'd  libel  to  the  flames. 

Who  then  for  filthy  gain  betray'd  his  trust, 
And  show'd  a  kinsman's  fault  in  open  light ! 

Let  him  adorn  the  monumental  bust, 

Th'  encomium  fair  in  brass  or  marble  write. 

Or  if  they  need  a  nobler  trophy  raise, 
As  long  as  Theron  and  Aspasio  live. 

Let  Madan  or  Romaine  record  his  praise ; 
Enough  that  Wesley's  brother  can  forgive. 

One  of  Mr.  Charles  Wesley's  truly  tender  and  af- 
fectionate hymns  on  Mr.  Hervey 's  death  will  now  be 
subjoined  : — 

"  He 's  gone !  the  spotless  soul  is  gone 
Triumphant  to  his  place  above ; 
The  prison- walls  are  broken  down, 

The  angels  speed  his  swift  remove, 
And  shouting  on  their  wings  he  flies, 
And  Hervey  rests  in  paradise. 

"  Through  the  last  dreadful  conflict  brought, 
Which  shook  so  sore  his  dying  breast, 

Far  happier  for  that  bitter  draught, 

With  more  transcendent  raptures  blest, 

He  finds  for  every  patient  groan 

A  jewel  added  to  his  crown. 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOUY.  185 

Saved  by  the  merits  of  his  Lord, 
Salvation,  praise  to  Christ  he  gives. 

Yet  still  his  merciful  reward, 
According  to  his  works  receives, 

And  with  the  seed  he  sow'd  below 

His  bliss  eternally  shall  grow. 

Ecdeem'd  by  righteousness  divine, 
In  God's  own  portraiture  complete, 

With  brighter  rays  ordain'd  to  shine, 
He  casts  his  crown  at  Jesus'  feet, 

And  hails  him  sitting  on  the  throne, 

For  ever  saved  by  grace  alone. 

The  biographer  of  C.  Wesley,  referring  to  the  opinion 
expressed  by  Mr.  Moore,  that  the  genius  of  Mr.  Wesley 
appeared  to  most  advantage  in  his  "  Hymns  for  Fami- 
lies," remarks,  that  if  a  preference  be  allowed,  "where 
all  is  excellent,"  he  would  specify  the  "  Funeral  Hymns," 
including  not  only  those  which  were  published  under 
that  name,  but  all  that  were  written  on  occasions  of  the 
deaths  of  pious  individuals. 

"Hymns  for  New7- Year's  Day,"  is  the  title  of  a 
small  tract,  containing  seven  hymns,  which  was  pub- 
lished in  the  year  1*755.  With  the  exception  of  one, 
that  was  taken  from  a  previous  publication,  the  hymns 
appear  here  for  the  first  time,  four  of  which  have  been 
inserted  in  the  Hymn-book  : — 

6.  Blow  ye  the  trumpet,  blow. 
492.  Come,  let  us  anew  Our  journey  pursue. 
494.  Sing  to  the  great  Jehovah's  praise. 
GG2.  Wisdom  ascribe,  and  might,  and  praise. 

The  writer  is  exceedingly  gratified  to  be  able  thus  un- 
questionably to  verify  the  authorship  of  that  favorite 
hymn, — 


186  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

"  Blow  ye  the  trumpet,  blow,"  &c, 

and  to  reclaim  it  for  its  true  author,  Mr.  Charles  Wes- 
ley. This  delightful  lyric  has  long  been,  by  many 
Hymn-book  compilers — and  among  the  rest  the  editor 
of  the  Methodist  Protestant  collection — erroneously 
attributed  to  the  Rev.  Augustus  Toplady  ;  perhaps  be- 
cause it  is  found  in  the  collection  of  hymns  published 
by  him, — as  some  other  Wesleyan  compositions  have 
been  fathered  upon  him  on  no  better  authority. 

During  the  year  1756  was  published  the  second  edi- 
tion, enlarged,  of  Mr.  Charles  Wesley's  "  Hymns  on 
God's  Everlasting  Love,"  in  two  parts,  numbering 
eighty-four  pages.  The  first  edition  of  this  tract,  hav- 
ing thirty-six  pages,  appeared  in  the  year  1741.  Seve- 
ral of  these  hymns,  says  our  poet's  biographer,  "are 
eminently  beautiful,  and  breathe  a  spirit  of  enlightened 
and  fervent  piety :  a  considerable  proportion  of  them 
were  inserted  in  the  collection  which  is  in  general  use 
in  the  Wesleyan  congregations.  They  were  published 
not  long  after  the  sermon  on  '  Free  Grace,'  the  leading 
principles  of  which  they  embody :  and  at  the  time  of 
their  appearance  they  could  scarcely  be  less  powerful 
in  their  influence  upon  the  public  mind  than  was  that 
very  impassioned  argumentative  discourse." 

The  following  hymns  from  this  volume  have  been  in- 
serted in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Hymn-book : — 

37.  Ah !  whither  should  I  go. 
239.  Come,  let  us  who  in  Christ  believe. 
403.  Equip  me  for  the  war. 

14.  Let  the  beasts  their  breath  resign. 
256.  Let  earth  and  heaven  agree. 
114.  Lo  !  in  thy  hand  I  lay. 
7.  O,  all  that  pass  by,  To  Jesus  draw  near. 


METHODIST    HV.MNliLOGV.  187 

95.  O,  'tis  enough,  my  God,  my  God. 
101.  O  God,  if  thou  art  love,  indeed. 
98.  0  Jesus  !  full  of  grace. 
4.  Sinners,  turn,  why  will  ye  die  ? 
16.  Sinners,  believe  the  gospel  word. 
15.  See,  sinners,  in  the  gospel  glass. 
8.  Thy  faithfulness,  Lord,  Each  moment  we  find. 
14.  What  could  your  Redeemer  do.  (2d  part.) 
199.  Would  Jesus  have  the  sinner  die  ? 

The    following   two   in   the  collection  of  the   M.    E. 
Church,  South  : — 

"  O  my  offended  God." 

"  Gracious  Redeemer,  hear." 

And  three  more  in  the  Wesleyan  Hymn-book : — 

"  Ah !  when  shall  I  awake  ?" 

"  Father,  whose  everlasting  love." 

"  Glorious  Saviour  of  my  soul." 

During  the  year  1*758,  C.  Wesley  published  "  Hymns 
of  Intercession  for  all  Mankind,"  with  this  appro- 
priate motto,  "  I  exhort,  therefore,  that  first  of  all,  sup- 
plications, prayers,  intercessions,  and  giving  of  thanks, 
"be  made  for  all  men."  England,  as  well  as  nearly  the 
whole  of  Europe,  was  at  wrar  at  this  time ;  and  the 
principal  Methodist  societies  in  England  held  meetings 
every  Friday,  at  12  o'clock,  for  the  purpose  of  inter- 
ceding with  God  in  behalf  of  the  church,  the  nation, 
and  the  world.  The  titles  of  the  hymns  contained  in 
this  tract,  which  are  forty  in  number,  have  special 
reference  to  the  circumstances  just  mentioned,  as  the 
following  specimens  will  show  : — For  Peace.  For  the 
Church  Catholic.  For  the  Church  of  England.  For 
Ministers  of  the  Gospel.  For  his  Majesty,  King  George. 
For  the  Prince  of  Wales.     For  the  King  of  Prussia. 


188  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

For  the  Magistrates.  For  the  Parliament.  There  were 
also  hymns  for  the  fleet,  army,  universities,  sick  persons, 
young  children,  orphans,  widows,  prisoners,  for  Jews, 
Turks,  heathens,  and  "  for  our  enemies,"  &c.  The  fol- 
lowing hymns  were  taken  from  this  tract : — 

142.  Let  God,  who  comforts  the  distress'd. 

151.  Our  earth  we  now  lament  to  see. 

602.  Sun  of  unclouded  righteousness. 

003.  Lord  OArer  all,  if  thou  hast  made. 

574.  He  comes !  he  comes !  the  Judge  severe  ! 

573.  Lo,  he  comes!  with  clouds  descending! 

580.  Lift  your  heads,  ye  friends  of  Jesus. 

And  the  fine  hymn  in  the  collection  of  the  Methodist 
E.  Church,  South,  commencing, 

''Father  of  faithful  Abrah'm,  hear 

Our  earnest  suit  for  Abrah'm's  seed ; 
Justly  they  claim  the  softest  prayer 
From  us,  adopted  in  their  stead, 
Who  mercy  through  their  fall  obtain, 
And  Christ,  by  their  rejection,  gain." 

Most  of  the  hymns  refer  to  the  disturbed  condition 
of  England,  the  country  being  still  at  war  with  France, 
and  experiencing  additional  trouble  in  consequence  of 
the  war  of  Austria  and  France  with  Prussia.  The  suc- 
ceeding year,  the  French  made  several  unsuccessful 
attempts  or  demonstrations  to  invade  England,  frequent 
allusions  to  which  are  made  in  Mr.  Wesley's  Journal ; 
and  in  reference  to  which  Mr.  Jackson  remarks  : — "  In 
this  emergency  of  the  national  affairs,  some  trusted  in 
the  valor,  strength,  and  skill,  of  the  fleet  and  army,  and 
expressed  their  unhallowed  confidence  by  singing  pro- 
fane songs.  Mr.  Charles  Wesley's  hope  was  in  the 
merciful  providence  of  God ;  and  his  fear  arose  from 


METHODIST    ETHNOLOGY.  189 

an  apprehension  that  the  people  of  England  might 
have  filled  up  the  measure  of  their  iniquities,  and  ren- 
dered themselves  ripe  for  the  divine  vengeance.  Of 
the  miseries  of  a  people  who  are  subjected  to  the  inso- 
lence and  plunder  of  a  conquering  army,  he  had  a  deep 
and  just  impression ;  but  in  this  case  he  was  the  most 
afraid  of  the  loss  of  Protestant  liberty,  and  of  its  reli- 
gious advantages.  The  testimony  of  history  respect- 
ing the  cruel  intolerance  of  Popery  had  not  been 
lost  upon  his  intelligent  and  susceptible  mind." 

In  this  crisis,  as  he  had  done  on  former  occasions, 
he  published  "  Hymns  on  the  Expected  Invasion, 
1759."     To  this  source  we  are  indebted  for  hymn 

627.  Come,  thou  Conqueror  of  nations. 

These  compositions  are  eight  in  number,  one  of 
which  is  here  inserted  : — 

Join  all,  whom  God  in  Jesus  spares, 
And  mingle  praises  with  }-our  prayers  ; 
Sing  to  the  Lord  a  solemn  song, 
Whose  mercy  respites  us  so  long. 

Mercy  alone  deferr'd  our  doom, 
And  would  not  let  the  judgment  come : 
Thy  mercy  we  with  rev'rcnce  praise, 
And  wonder  at  thy  patient  grace. 

Saviour,  thy  unexhausted  love 
Did  still  tli'  approaching  woe  remove, 
With  famine,  war.  and  earthquake,  near, 
It  rescued  us  from  year  to  year. 

A  hush  unhurnt  amidst  the  flame, 
Jesus,  we  magnify  thy  name, 
Our  strange  deliv'rances  admire, 
And  give  thee  glory  in  the  fire. 


190  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Preserved  so  oft,  we  cannot  doubt 
Thy  mighty  arm  shall  bear  us  out, 
Our  suff'ring  souls  like  gold  refine, 
And  whiten  us  in  blood  divine. 

And  if  the  sword  a  few  destroys, 
The  rest  shall  tremble  and  rejoice, 
Repent,  and  know  their  sins  forgiven, 
And  glorify  the  God  of  heaven. 

There  lies  before  the  writer  a  copy  of  the  eighth  edi- 
tion of  a  volume  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  pages, 
exclusive  of  the  index,  entitled,  "  Hymns  and  Spiritual 
Songs,  intended  for  the  Use  of  Real  Christians,  of 
all  Denominations."  Published  by  John  and  Charles 
Wesley,  in  the  year  1761. 

Mr.  John  Wesley,  who  seems  to  have  written  all  the 
prefaces  to  the  works  which  had  been  published  jointly 
by  his  brother  and  himself,  in  the  preface  to  this  volume 
regrets  the  "  mischiefs  "  that  had  arisen  from  bigotry 
and  an  inordinate  attachment  to  particular  opinions  or 
modes  of  worship.  He  notices  the  unspeakable  advan- 
tages that  attend,  and  the  happiness  that  flows  from,  a 
truly  catholic  spirit,  and  rejoices  to  see  the  spirit  of 
bigotry  declining,  and  the  spirit  of  love  proportionably 
increasing.  He  then  expresses  a  hope  that  the  volume 
he  was  about  to  send  forth  might  advance  this  glorious 
end.  In  relation  to  the  hymns  are  the  following  cha- 
racteristic observations : — 

"  There  is  not  a  hymn,  not  one  verse  inserted  here, 
but  what  relates  to  the  common  salvation,  and  what 
every  serious  and  unprejudiced  Christian,  of  whatever 
denomination,  may  join  in.  It  is  true,  none  but  those 
who  either  already  experience  the  kingdom  of  God 
within  them,  or  at  least  earnestly  desire  so  to  do,  will 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  191 

either  relish  or  understand  them.  But  all  these  may 
find  herein  either  such  prayers  as  speak  the  language 
of  their  souls  when  they  are  in  heaviness;  or  such 
thanksgivings  as  express,  in  a  low  degree,  what  they 
feel,  when  rejoicing  with  joy  unspeakable." 

This  work  is  entirely  a  compilation,  and  is  referred 
to  by  Mr.  Wesley  in  the  preface  to  his  Large  Hymn- 
book,  as  a  collection  which  he  had  several  years  pre- 
viously "  extracted  from  a  variety  of  hymn-books ;" 
that  is,  from  the  different  works  which  he  and  his 
brother  had  before  published.  It  was  extensively  used 
by  Mr.  Wesley's  societies,  and  passed  through  many 
editions — the  twenty-first  in  the  year  17  7  7 — previous 
to  the  publication  of  the  "  Large  Hymn-book  "  in  1780, 
after  which  it  is  not  probable  that  it  ever  was  reprinted. 

In  the  year  1761  was  published  a  small  volume,  en- 
titled, "  Select  Hymns  for  the  Use  of  Christians  of 
all  Denominations  ;"  a  copy  of  the  fifth  edition  of 
which  is  before  the  writer.  It  has  neither  the  com- 
piler's name  nor  a  preface.  The  hymns  are  by  different 
authors,  principally  by  C.  Wesley  ;  but  the  writer  has 
not  been  able  to  ascertain  how  many,  if  any,  of  his 
hymns  appeared  originally  in  this  volume.  It  appears 
to  be  entirely  a  compilation,  principally  from  the  works 
of  the  Wesley s. 

Mr.  John  Wesley  this  year  published  a  work  entitled 
"  Select  Hymns  ;  with  Tunes  annexed  :  designed 
chiefly  for  the  Use  of  the  People  called  Method- 
ists." The  following  extract  from  the  preface  will  ex- 
plain its  character : — 

"  I  want  the  people  called  Methodists  to  sing  true  the 
tunes  which  are  in  common  use  amono-  them.     At  the 


192  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

same  time,  I  want  them  to  have  in  one  volume  the 
best  hymns  which  we  have  printed ;  and  that  in  a 
small  and  portable  volume,  and  one  of  an  easy  price. 
I  have  been  endeavoring  for  more  than  twenty  years  to 
procure  such  a  book  as  this,  but  in  vain.  Masters  of 
music  were  above  following  any  direction  but  their  own. 
And  I  was  determined,  whoever  compiled  this,  should 
follow  my  direction  ;  not  mending  our  tunes,  but  setting 
them  down  neither  better  nor  worse  than  they  were. 
At  length  I  have  prevailed.  The  following  collec- 
tion contains  all  the  tunes  which  are  in  common  use 
among  us." 

The  "  people  called  Methodists  "  have  not  only  al- 
ways been  a  singing  community,  but  have  endeavored 
to  sing  with  the  spirit  and  the  understanding ;  and  this 
their  learned  and  pious  founder  was  convinced  could  be 
done  only  by  singing  correctly  ;  hence  he  early  furnish- 
ed them  with  music  books*  containing  the  tunes  in 
use  among  them,  and  insisted  upon  their  use  by  his 
societies  and  congregations.  But  this  is  not  all ;  they 
must  not  only  sing  "  true,"  but  sing  the  "  best  hymns," 
the  sublimity  of  sentiment  harmonizing  with  the  melody 
of  music.  In  reference  to  this  subject,  Dr.  Southey, 
who  was  not  a  friend  of  Methodism,  remarks  :  "  Aware 
of  the  great  advantage  to  be  derived  from  psalmody, 
and  with  an  ear,  as  well  as  with  an  understanding,  alive 
to  its  abuse,  Wesley  made  it  an  essential  part  of  the 
devotional  service  in  his  chapels  ;  and  he  triumphantly 

*  The  first  work  of  die  kind  published  by  Mr.  Wesley  was 
entitled,  ';  A  Collection  of  Tunes,  set  to  Music,  as  they  are  sung 
at  the  Foundery,"  1752.  "Foundery"  was  the  name  of  the  first 
Methodist  "  preaching-house"  in  London — it  had  been  a  cannon 
foundery. 


METHODIST    HYMN0L0GY.  193 

contrasted  the  practice  of  his  people,  in  this  respect, 
with  that  of  the  churches."  And  he  says  that  the 
"manner"  in  which  the  Methodists  sung  their  songs, 
"  tended  to  impress  them  strongly  on  the  mind ;  the 
tune  was  made  wholly  subservient  to  the  words,  not 
the  words  to  the  tune." 

It  is  to  be  feared  that  the  character  here  given  of 
Methodist  singing  has  been,  in  this  country  at  least, 
somewhat  modified,  by  the  introduction  of  choirs 
of  irreligious  persons  into  our  "churches,"  and  the 
use  of  popular  hymns  and  tunes,  to  the  frequent  exclu- 
sion of  our  own  Hymn-book,  containing,  as  it  does,  the 
incomparable  hymns  of  John  and  Charles  Wesley. 

During  the  year  17G2  Mr.  Charles  Wesley  favored 
the  Christian  church  with  two  additional  volumes  of 
sacred  poetry,  entitled,  "Short  Hymns  on  Select 
Passages  of  the  Holt  Scriptures."  Most  of  the 
hymns  are  concise,  but  some  are  of  considerable  length. 
In  the  first  edition  they  are  two  thousand  one  hundred 
and  forty-five  in  number,  but  in  subsequent  editions 
they  are  reduced  to  two  thousand  and  thirty,  and  are 
founded  upon  particular  texts,  beginning  with  Genesis, 
and  ending  with  the  Revelation  of  St.  John.  Many  of 
them  display  a  singular  ingenuity  ;  and  nearly  all  breathe 
the  same  spirit  of  pure  and  fervent  devotion  which  so 
strikingly  marks  his  former  compositions.  And  the 
entire  work,  says  Mr.  Jackson,  is  perhaps  one  of  the 
best  uninspired  manuals  for  the  Christian  closet  that 
was  ever  published  in  the  English  language. 

Many  of  the  thoughts  in  these  volumes,  we  are  told 
in  the  preface,  are  borrowed  from  Mr.  Henry's  Com- 
ment, Dr.  Gill  on  the  Pentateuch,  and  Bengelius  on 
9 


194  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

the  New  Testament.  "Few  persons,"  says  his  bio- 
grapher, "would  think  of  going  to  the  verbose  Com- 
mentary of  Matthew  Henry  for  the  elements  of  poetry ; 
but  the  genius  of  Charles  Wesley,  like  the  fabled  phi- 
losopher's stone,  could  turn  everything  to  gold."  Not- 
withstanding this  high  eulogy,  it  seems  some  of  the 
hymns  on  "  Christian  Perfection  "  and  "  Spiritual  Dark- 
ness" contained  sentiments  not  altogether  in  unison 
with  those  of  his  brother.  The  objectionable  hymns 
and  verses  were  omitted  Avhen  the  volumes  were  re- 
printed :  they  passed  through  many  editions  previous  to 
the  year  1794,  since  which  time  the  writer  knows  not 
if  they  have  been  republished.  Some  of  the  omitted 
poems  and  stanzas  are  veiy  curious.  Take  one  instance, 
founded  upon  Numbers  xvi,  10,  "And  seek  ye  the 
priesthood  also?" 

"  Eaised  from  the  people's  lowest  lees. 
Guard,  Lord,  thy  preaching  witnesses  5 
Nor  let  their  pride  the  honor  claim 
Of  sealing  cov'nants  in  thy  name : 
Rather  than  suffer  them  to  dare 
Usurp  the  priestly  character, 
Save  from  the  arrogant  offense, 
And  snatch  them,  uncorrupted,  hence." 

Mr.  Charles  Wesley's  extreme  sensitiveness  in  regard 
to  the  sanctity  of  the  office  of  the  Christian  ministry,  occa- 
sioned by  his  peculiar  high-church  principles,  caused  him 
frequently  to  express  himself,  both  orally  and  in  writing, 
in  a  manner  opposed  to  the  sentiments  of  his  brother,  as 
in  the  above  stanza;  and  sometimes  much  to  his  an- 
noyance, as  in  the  following,  upon  1  Kings  xii,  31, 
"Jeroboam  made  priests  of  the  lowest  of  the  peo- 
ple :"— 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  195 

"  But  kings  may  spare  their  labor  vain, 
For  in  such  happy  times  as  these 
The  vulgar  can  themselves  ordain, 
And  priests  commence,  whoever  please." 

Perhaps  there  could  not  be  given  a  specimen  that 
would  convey,  in  a  single  stanza,  a  better  idea  of  the 
excellent  character  of  the  work,  than  the  following, 
founded  on  2  Chron.  vi,  36,  "There  is  no  man  which 
sinneth  not :" — 

"  No ;  every  fallen  child  of  man 

Must  sin  in  thought,  and  word,  and  deed ; 
But  bursting  our  oppressor's  chain, 

When  Jesus  hath  his  pris'ners  freed ; 
The  dire  necessity  is  o'er, 
And,  born  of  God,  we  sin  no  more." 

Or  the  following,  on  Genesis  xi,  21,  "And  the  Lord 
God  took  one  of  his  ribs  :" — 

"  Not  from  his  head  was  woman  took, 
As  made  her  husband  to  o'erlook, 
Not  from  his  feet,  as  one  design'd 
The  footstool  of  the  stronger  kind  ; 
But  fashion'd  for  himself,  a  bride, 
An  equal,  taken  from  his  side  ; 
Her  place  intended  to  maintain, 
The  mate,  and  glory  of  the  man  ; 
To  rest,  as  still  beneath  his  arm, 
Protected  by  her  lord  from  harm  ; 
And  never  from  his  heart  removed, 
As  only  less  than  God  beloved." 

Mr.  C.  Wesley,  unlike  his  brother  John,  was  very 
happily  married,  and  in  penning  the  above  lines,  doubt- 
less, merely  gave  a  transcript  of  which  himself  and  wife 
formed  the  original. 

The  writer  is  tempted  to  give  a  beautiful  poem  found- 


196  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

ed  on  Jacob's  dream  of  the  ladder,  and  yields  to  the 
temptation.  If  this  poem  were  as  well  known  as  that 
other  beautiful  composition,  "Wrestling  Jacob,"  its 
counterpart,  "  Jacob's  Ladder,"  would  doubtless  be  al- 
most as  much  admired.     Here  it  is : — 

What  doth  the  ladder  mean, 

Sent  down  from  the  Most  High  ? 
Fasten'd  to  earth  its  foot  is  seen, 

Its  summit  to  the  sky. 
Lo !  up  and  down  the  scale 

The  angels  swiftly  move, 
And  God,  the  great  Invisible, 

Himself  appears  above ! 

Jesus  that  ladder  is, 

TV  incarnate  Deity, 
Partaker  of  celestial  bliss, 

And  human  misery : 
Sent  from  his  high  abode, 

To  sleeping  mortals  given, 
He  stands,  and  man  unites  to  God, 

And  earth  connects  with  heaven. 

Let  Jacob's  favor'd  race 

The  wond'rous  scale  approve, 
Through  which  alone  we  have  access 

To  that  bright  throne  above  ; 
The  foot  on  earth  is  fix'd, 

He  in  our  nature  dwells, 
Sinners  and  God  He  stands  betwixt, 

And  God  to  man  reveals. 

The  top  our  faith  adores, 

The  top  transcends  our  sight, 
Above  all  earthly  things  it  soars, 

And  all  created  height ; 
His  glorious  majesty 

Our  heavenly  Lord  maintains, 
As  God  he  dwells  above  the  sky. 

As  God  for  ever  reierns. 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  197 

Pursue  the  mystery — 

The  duteous  angel  train 
Ascending  and  descending  see 

Upon  the  Son  of  man ! 
The  ministerial  host 

Then*  heavenly  Lord  attend ; 
And  us  who  in  his  mercy  trust, 

He  bids  his  guard  defend : 

Through  Christ,  our  living  way, 

Sent  from  above  they  come, 
Our  spirits  safely  to  convey 

To  our  eternal  home ; 
They  watch  each  glorious  heir, 

And  when  from  flesh  released, 
Up  to  our  Father's  throne  they  bear-, 

And  lodge  us  in  his  breast. 

Redeemer  of  mankind, 

Who  on  thy  name  rely, 
A  constant  intercourse  we  find 

Opcn'd  'twixt  earth  and  sky ; 
Mercy,  and  grace,  and  peace, 

Descend  through  thee  alone, 
And  thou  dost  all  our  services 

Present  before  the  throne. 

On  us  thy  Father's  love 

Is  for  thy  sake  bestow'd ; 
Thou  art  our  Advocate  above, 

Thou  art  our  way  to  God ; 
Our  way  to  God  we  trace 

And  through  thy  name  forgiven, 
From  step  to  step,  from  grace  to  grace, 

On  thee  we  climb  to  heaven. 

Dr.  Clarke,  in  his  Commentary,  makes  frequent  men- 
tion of  Charles  Wesley  as  a  sacred  poet,  and  has  trans- 
ferred a  considerable  number  of  his  poems  and  para- 
phrases  into    that   most   valuable  work,  to   illustrate 


198  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

certain  passages  of  Holy  Scripture.  Several  of  these 
poems  are  from  the  volumes  we  are  now  noticing,  one 
of  which,  with  the  doctor's  accompanying  remarks,  is 
subjoined.  It  is  founded  upon  the  curse  which  Shimei 
pronounced  against  David,  as  related  in  the  sixteenth 
chapter  of  the  Second  Book  of  Samuel : — 

"  No  soul  of  man  can  suppose  that  ever  God  bade 
one  man  to  curse  another,  much  less  that  he  commanded 
such  a  wretch  as  Shimei  to  curse  such  a  man  as  David  ; 
but  this  is  a  peculiarity  of  the  Hebrew  language,  which 
does  not  always  distinguish  between  permission  and 
commandment.  Often  the  Scripture  attributes  to  God 
what  he  only  permits  to  be  done :  or  what,  in  the 
course  of  his  providence,  he  does  not  hinder.  David, 
however,  considers  all  this  as  being  permitted  of  God 
for  his  chastisement  and  humiliation.  I  cannot  with- 
hold from  my  readers  a  very  elegant  poetic  paraphrase 
of  this  passage,  from  the  pen  of  the  Rev.  Charles  Wes- 
ley, one  of  the  first  of  Christian  poets : — 

"  '  Pure  from  the  blood  of  Saul  in  vain, 

He  dares  not  to  the  charge  reply  : 
Uriahs  doth  the  charge  maintain, 

Uriah's  doth  against  him  cry  ! 
Let  Shimei  curse  :  the  rod  he  bears, 

Eor  sins  which  mercy  had  forgiven : 
And  in  the  wrongs  of  man  reveres 

The  awful  righteousness  of  Heaven. 

" '  Lord,  I  adore  thy  righteous  will, 
Through  every  instrument  of  ill 

My  Father's  goodness  see  ; 
Accept  the  complicated  wrong 
Of  Shimei's  hand  and  Shimevs  tongue 

As  kind  rebukes  from  Thee.'  " 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGV.  199 

These  volumes  furnish  upwards  of  seventy  hymns  to 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  collection,  the  first  lines  of 
which  are  annexed  : — 

290.  A  Fountain  of  life  and  of  grace. 

159.  A  charge  to  keep  I  have. 
198.  Adam  descended  from  above. 

91.  Ah,  Lord,  with  trembling  I  confess. 

160.  Be  it  my  only  wisdom  here. 
211.  Bless'd  be  our  everlasting  Lord. 
112.  Come,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost. 
421.  Come  let  us  use  the  grace  divine. 
350.  Come,  0  my  God,  the  promise  seal. 
653.  Coming  through  our  great  High  Priest. 

363.  Deepen  the  wounds  thy  hands  have  made. 
630.  Eternal  Lord  of  earth  and  skies. 

182.  Expand  thy  wings,  celestial  Dove. 
598.  Father,  see  this  living  clod. 
614.  Father  of  earth  and  sky. 
100.  Father,  if  thou  must,  reprove. 
330.  Father,  I  dare  believe. 
628.  Father  of  boundless  grace. 
484.  Father  of  me  and  all  mankind. 

180.  Great  God,  to  me  the  sight  afford. 

364.  Give  me  the  enlarged  desire. 
340.  God  of  eternal  truth  and  grace. 

346.  He  wills  that  I  should  holy  be. 
209.  Holy  as  thou,  O  Lord,  is  none. 
666.  I  call  the  world's  Redeemer  mine. 
538.  I  long  to  behold  him  array'd. 

181.  I  ask  the  gift  of  righteousness. 
533.  In^spirer  of  the  ancient  seers. 
470.  I  the  good  fight  have  fought. 
467.  Jesus,  the  word  of  mercy  give. 
481.  Jesus,  from  thy  heavenly  place. 

347.  Jesus,  tby  loving  Spirit  alone. 

348.  Jesus,  my  Lord,  I  cry  to  thee. 
147.  Jesus,  1  fain  would  find. 

597.  Jesus,  the  gift  divine  bestow. 


200  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

664.  Jesus,  was  ever  love  like  thine. 
372.  Lord,  in  the  strength  of  grace. 

371.  Let  not  the  wise  their  wisdom  boast. 

235.  My  Saviour's  pierced  side. 

527.  May  I  throughout  this  day  of  thine. 

218.  My  soul,  through  my  Redeemer's  care. 

326.  Now,  e'en  now,  I  yield,  I  yield. 

141.  0  Thou  who  earnest  from  above. 

604.  0  come,  thou  radiant  Morning  Star. 
53.  0  for  that  tenderness  of  heart. 

134.  O  God,  most  merciful  and  true. 
132.  O  may  thy  powerful  word. 
356.  0  come  and  dwell  in  me. 

605.  O  Lord,  our  God,  we  bless  thee  now. 
339.  0  Jesus,  let  thy  dying  cry. 

567.  Pass  a  few  swiftly  fleeting  years. 
351.  Quicken'd  with  our  immortal  Head. 
566.  Shrinking  from  the  cold  hand  of  death. 

94.  Saviour,  I  now  with  shame  confess. 
148.  Saviour-,  on  me  the  want  bestow. 
258.  Thy  ceaseless,  unexhausted  love. 
349.  Thou  God  that  answerest  by  fire. 
247.  Thou  Shepherd  of  Israel  and  mine. 
184.  Thou  God  unsearchable,  unknown. 
302.  The  thing  my  God  doth  hate. 

48.  Thou  Man  of  griefs,  remember  me. 
543.  The  church  in  her  militant  state. 
599.  The  voice  that  speaks  Jehovah  near. 
238.  The  voice  of  my  Beloved  sounds. 
540.  Thou,  Lord,  on  whom  I  still  depend. 
499.  When  quiet  in  my  house  I  rest. 
425.  Watch'd  by  the  world's  malignant  eye. 
319.  What,  now,  is  my  object  and  aim. 

135.  Why  not  now,  my  God,  my  God  1 
338.  What !  never  speak  one  evil  word. 
102.  Yes,  from  this  instant,  now,  I  will. 

18.  Ye  thirsty  for  God,  To  Jesus  give  ear. 
525.  Ye  faithful  souls,  who  Jesus  know. 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  201 

The  following  hymns,  in  the  collection  of  the  M.  E. 
Church,  South,  are  from  the  same  source : — 

"A  nation  God  delights  to  bless." 

"  Almighty  God  of  love'' 

"  By  faith,  I  to  the  fountain  fly." 

"  Captain  of  Israel's  host,  and  guide." 

"  Father  of  everlasting  grace." 

t;  Enter'd  the  holy  place  above." 

"  If  death  my  friend  and  me  divide." 

"  Jesus,  let  all  thy  lovers  shine." 

"  Let  Jacob's  favor'd  race." 

"  Lord,  give  me  that  pacific  mind." 

M  My  days  are  extinguished  and  gone." 

"  Messiah,  full  of  grace.'' 

;:  O  thou  faithful  God  of  love." 

"  O  that  I  could  look  to  thee." 

"  Pursue  the  mystery." 

"  Redeemer  of  mankind." 

"  Reserves  of  unexhausted  grace." 

"  Ready  for  my  earthen  bed." 

"  Shall  foolish,  weak,  short-sighted  man." 

t;  The  Man  of  sorrow  now." 

"  The  merit  of  Jehovah's  Son." 

"  The  men  who  slight  thy  faithful  word." 

"  The  saints  who  die  of  Christ  possess'd." 

"  Thou  art  that  Bread  of  life." 

"  "lis  finish'd  !  the  Messias  dies." 

"  Upright  both  in  heart  and  will." 

"  What  doth  the  ladder  mean  ?" 

And  the  following,  in  the  English  Hymn-book  : — 
"  Branch  of  Jesse's  stem,  arise." 
"  Christ,  whose  glory  fills  the  skies." 
"  God,  who  didst  so  dearly  buy." 
•■  Happy  day  of  union  sweet." 
"  Jesus,  thou  dear  redeeming  Lord." 
9* 


202  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

"  Lord,  I  adore  thy  righteous  will." 
"  Lord,  that  I  may  learn  of  thee." 
"  Messias,  Prince  of  peace." 
"  O  God  of  peace,  and  pard'ning  love." 
"  Once  Thou  didst  on  earth  appear." 
"  Prince  of  universal  peace." 
"  Saviour,  on  me  the  grace  bestow." 
"  Too  strong  I  was  to  conquer  sin." 
"  The  people  that  in  darkness  lay." 
"  The  thirsty  arc  call'd  to  their  Lord." 
"  Us  who  climb  thy  holy  hill." 
"  Who  can  worthily  commend." 

Mr.  Charles  Wesley  published  a  small  volume  of 
hymns  in  the  year  1766,  somewhat  different  from  any 
of  the  numerous  similar  works  which  he  and  his  brother, 
during  eight  and  twenty  years  preceding,  had,  with 
such  astonishing  rapidity,  sent  forth  into  the  world. 
But  if  it  was  different  from  the  rest,  it  was  by  no 
means  of  inferior  importance  to  the  Christian  church. 
Although  John  and  Charles  Wesley  published  in  their 
volume  of  "  Hymns  and  Sacred  Poems,"  as  early  as  the 
year  1742,  seven  "Hymns  for  Children,"  and  in  their 
"  Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns,"  issued  from  the 
press  in  1748,  fourteen  hymns  for  the  use  of  "Or- 
phan and  Charity  Children,"  yet,  previous  to  this 
time,  the  brothers  seem  not  to  have  turned  their  atten- 
tion seriously  to  the  subject  of  supplying  the  youthful 
part  of  the  community  with  hymns  suited  to  their  years 
and  capacity.  Indeed,  it  is  probable  they  may  have 
thought  it  an  act  of  supererogation,  as  Dr.  Watts's  justly 
admired  little  work,  entitled  "  Divine  Songs  for  Chil- 
dren," was  then  in  existence.  But  they  were  both  too 
few  in  number — only  twenty-eight — and  not  altogether 
in  matter  what  the  surpassing  genius  of  C.  Wesley  was 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  203 

competent  to  produce,  and  his  discriminating  mind  led 
him  to  wish  to  see  in  the  hands  of  the  thousands  of 
"  little  immortals  "  who  were  now  brought  under  the 
influence  and  guidance  of  the  Methodist  societies.  Ac- 
cordingly, as  above  intimated,  he  this  year  published 
his  "  Hymns  for  Children  and  others  of  Kiper 
Years." 

The  fifth  edition  of  this  work,  issued  from  the  Wes- 
leyan  Conference  Office,  in  the  year  1842,  is  before  the 
writer.  The  short  and  sententious  "  Address  to  the 
Reader,"  which  is  evidently  from  the  pen  of  Mr.  J. 
Wesley,  is  of  so  remarkable  a  character,  that  it  must 
be  inserted  in  this  place.     He  says, — 

"  There  are  two  ways  of  writing  or  speaking  to  chil- 
dren :  the  one  is,  to  let  ourselves  down  to  them,  the 
other,  to  lift  them  up  to  us.  Dr.  Watts  has  wrote  on 
the  former  way,  and  has  succeeded  admirably  well, 
speaking  to  children  as  children,  and  leaving  them  as 
he  found  them.  The  following  hymns  are  written  on 
the  other  plan  :  they  contain  strong  and  manly  sense ; 
yet  expressed  in  such  plain  and  easy  language,  as  even 
children  may  understand.  But  when  they  do  under- 
stand them,  they  will  be  children  no  longer,  only  in 
years  and  in  stature." 

Of  this  small  volume  Mr.  Jackson  observes,  it  would 
"  be  difficult  to  mention  any  uninspired  book,  that,  in 
the  same  compass,  contains  so  much  evangelical  senti- 
ment. The  hymns  are  full  of  instruction,  and  yet 
thoroughly  devotional  in  their  character.  There  is 
nothing  puerile  in  them,  either  with  respect  to  thought 
or  expression  ;"  and  "  in  the  hands  of  a  Christian 
mother,  it  would  form  a  valuable  help  in  the  task  of 
education.     The  volume  ouo;ht  never  to  have  been  suf- 


204  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

fered  to  remain  out  of  print."     Two  specimens  of  these 
long-neglected  treasures  are  here  subjoined,  entitled, 

HYMNS    FOR   THE    YOUNGEST. 
I. 

O  happy  state  of  infancy  ! 

Strangers  to  guilty  fears, 
We  live  from  sin  and  sorrow  free, 

In  these  onr  tender  years. 

Jesus,  the  Lord,  our  Shepherd  is, 

And  did  our  souls  redeem  ; 
Our  present  and  eternal  bliss 

Are  both  secured  by  him. 

His  mercy  every  sinner  claims, 

For  all  his  flock  he  cares ; 
The  sheep  he  gently  leads,  the  lambs 

He  in  his  bosom  bears. 

Loving  he  is  to  all  his  sons, 

Who  hearken  to  his  call ; 
But  us,  his  weak,  his  little  ones, 

He  loves  us  best  of  all. 

If  unto  us  our  friends  are  good, 
'Twas  he  their  hearts  inclined ; 

He  bids  our  fathers  give  us  food, 
And  makes  our  mothers  kind. 

Then  let  us  thank  him  for  his  grace, 

He  will  not  disapprove 
Our  meanest  sacrifice  of  praise, 

Our  childish,  prattling  love. 

II. 

In  vain  are  children  taught  to  pray, 

Or  praise  a  God  unknown, 
Christ  is  the  true  and  living  way, 

And  God  and  Christ  are  one. 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  205 

Whene'er  we  think  on  God  most  high, 

Whene'er  his  praise  proclaim, 
We  think  on  him  who  stoop'd  to  die, 

We  bow  to  Jesus'  name. 

My  God,  in  Jesus  reconciled, 

Declare  thyself  to  me, 
If  still  an  uncorrupted  child, 

Yet  still  I  know  not  thee. 

To  make  my  sinful  nature  pure, 

Thy  Spirit,  Lord,  impart, 
And  me  from  actual  sin  secure, 

By  dwelling  in  my  heart. 

This  delightful  little  volume  contains  one  hundred 
and  five  hymns,  in  a  great  variety  of  metres  ;  only 
about  twelve  of  which  have  been  transferred  to  the  col- 
lection of  "Hymns  for  Sunday-schools,"  published  by 
the  Book  Concern  at  New- York ;  and  several  of  them 
are  deprived  of  some  of  their  original  stanzas.  A  some- 
what greater  number,  however,  have  been  inserted  in 
the  larger  collection  intended  for  general  use  in  our 
churches.     They  are  as  follow  : — 

551.  And  am  I  born  to  die7? 

577.  And  must  I  be  to  judgment  brought? 

552.  And  am  I  only  born  to  die  ? 
518.  Captain  of  our  salvation,  take. 

514.  Come,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost. 

208.  Glorious  God,  accept  a  heart. 

206.  Hail,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost. 

334.  Loving  Jesus !  gentle  Lamb ! 

106.  Maker,  Saviour  of  mankind. 

217.  O  all-creating  God. 

551.  O  Thou  that  would'st  not  have.  (2d  part.) 

23.  Terrible  thought,  shall  I  alone. 

210.  Thou,  the  great  eternal  God. 
589.  Thou,  my  God,  art  good  and  wise. 


206  METHODIST    HVMNOLOGY. 

672.  Where  shall  true  believers  go. 
286.  Young  men  and  maidens,  raise. 

The  following  are  the  twelve  transferred  to  the  Sun- 
day-School Hymn-book : — 

"  Hail,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost." 

"  Teacher,  Guide  of  young  beginners."  3  ver. 

"  God  is  goodness,  wisdom,  power."  6    " 

';  O  that  I,  like  Timothy." 

"  Holy  Child  of  heavenly  birth."  6     " 

"  Let  children  proclaim  their  Saviour  and  King."  4    " 

"  0  Father  of  all,  The  great  and  the  small." 

"  Gentle  Jesus,  meek  and  mild."  7     " 

"  Come,  let  us  join  the  hosts  above."  6     " 

"  Happy  beyond  description  he." 

"  Come,  let  us  join  with  one  accord." 

':  Happy  man  whom  God  doth  aid." 

The  three  hymns  in  the  Wesleyan  collection  are  from 
the  same  source,  commencing, 

"  But  who  sufficient  is  to  lead." 

"  Let  all  that  breathe  Jehovah's  praise." 

"  Good  thou  art,  and  good  thou  dost." 

In  the  preface  to  a  small  volume  of  hymns  published 
at  New- York,  in  the  year  1841,  occurs  the  following 
sentence  :  "In  the  various  and  beautiful  selections  of 
devotional  poetry  which  adorn  our  literature,  there  are 
but  few  hymns  adapted  to  the  comprehension  of  children  ; 
and  this  little  work  has  been  written  with  the  view 
of  supplying  a  volume  suitable  for  youth."  The  very 
best  hymns  of  this  description  in  general  use — except 
those  by  Charles  Wesley,  which  seem  to  have  found 
their  way,  almost  accidentally,  into  some  Sunday-school 
Hymn-books — are  those  by  Dr.  Watts,  and  they  are 
less  than  thirty  in  number.  Hence  the  propriety  of  the 
remarks  above  quoted.     The  writer  is  not  ignorant  of 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  20*7 

the  merits  of  the  hymns  for  children  by  Jane  Taylor, 
Montgomery,  and  some  others ;  but  excellent  as  they 
are  in  many  respects,  they  neither  preclude  all  cause 
of  complaint,  nor  should  be  allowed  to  supplant  among 
Methodists  the  inimitable  compositions  of  their  own 
peculiar  poet. 

The  question  has  often  been  suggested  to  the  mind 
of  the  writer,  why  is  it  that  the  Christian  world  has 
shown  so  much  more  favor  to  the  "  Divine  Songs  "  of 
Dr.  Watts,  than  to  the  "  Hymns  for  Children "  of 
Charles  Wesley  ?  Why  is  it  that  thousands,  perhaps 
tens  of  thousands,  of  editions  of  Dr.  Watts's  hymns  have 
been  issued  in  this  country,  and  hundreds  of  them  from 
our  own  Methodist  press,  while  not  a  single  edition  of 
Wesley's  hymns  have  been  published  ?  Is  it  because 
the  former  work  is  so  far  superior  to  the  latter  ?  Such 
is  by  no  means  the  case,  as  will  fully  appear  upon  an 
examination  and  comparison  of  the  two  works.  The 
truth  is,  our  own  church  has  been  shamefully  unmind- 
ful of  the  merits  and  memory  of  her  poet,  perhaps 
because  unconscious  of  the  rich  legacy  bequeathed  to 
her,  and,  it  may  be,  her  incompetency  properly  to  ap- 
preciate the  literary  treasure.  But  the  stigma  should 
remain  no  longer.  A  brighter  intellectual  day  is  dawn- 
ing upon  the  church,  and  her  membership  may  now  at 
least  begin  to  appreciate  the  sublime  productions  of  a 
sanctified  genius,  who  anticipated  by  three  quarters  of 
a  century  the  intellectual  wants  of  the  Christian  world  ; 
and  thereby  furnished  beforehand  what  is  now  ac- 
knowledged to  be  a  desideratum  in  religious  literature. 
Let  the  church,  then,  meet  the  emergency  promptly, 
by  publishing  forthwith  an  edition  of  Charles  Wesley's 
"  Hymns  for  Children :"  a  more  valuable  boon  could 


208  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

not  be  conferred  upon  the  "  children,"  while  "  others 
of  riper  years  "  would  also  share  in  the  precious  patri- 
mony. And  let  there  not  be  one  edition  only,  but 
several,  in  different  styles,  adorned  with  all  the  attract- 
iveness of  tasteful  external  appearance,  beautiful  picto- 
rial embellishments,  and,  if  necessary,  "  illustrated  with 
anecdotes  and  reflections."  In  tins  respect  the  writer 
is  anxious  to  see  the  poet  of  Methodism  placed  upon  an 
equality  with  Dr.  Watts  ;  and  as  the  Presbyterian  Board 
of  Publication,  and  the  American  Sunday-School  Union, 
have  taken  the  doctor's  "  Divine  Songs  "  under  their 
special  patronage,  and  decked  them  out  in  all  the  com- 
bined attractiveness  of  typographical,  artistical,  and 
literary  skill,  so,  likewise,  let  the  Methodist  Church 
do  unto  Charles  Wesley's  "  Hymns  for  Children ;" 
and  then  scatter  them  "  as  the  dew  of  Hermon  "  over 
the  fields  of  the  church,  and  great  will  be  "  the  blessing, 
even  life  for  evermore." 

Mr.  Charles  Wesley,  whose  genius  seemed  inex- 
haustible, having  furnished  the  "  children"  of  the  Wes- 
leyan  societies  with  suitable  strains  in  which  to  offer  to 
God,  through  Jesus  Christ,  the  sacrifice  of  praise  and 
thanksgiving  in  the  melodious  outpouring  of  grateful 
hearts,  the  following  year,  1*767,  published  another 
volume,  which,  although  unique  in  its  character,  was 
not  of  less  importance  and  utility  than  the  former,  es- 
pecially to  "  those  of  riper  years."  This  volume  he 
entitled  "  Hymns  for  the  Use  of  Families,  and  on 
Various  Occasions."  The  author's  learned  biogra- 
pher thus  speaks  in  relation  to  this  remarkable  work : 
"  It  consists,  to  a  great  extent,  of  hymns  which  he  had 
written  under   circumstances  of  peculiar   excitement, 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  209 

affecting  him  as  a  husband,  a  father,  and  the  head  of  a 
family.  Others  of  them  were  composed  for  the  use  of 
his  pious  friends  in  seasons  of  especial  anxiety,  sorrow, 
and  joy.  It  is  not  probable  that  one  of  them  was  writ- 
ten with  reference  to  an  imaginary  case,  which  might 
possibly  occur.  They  are  all  the  genuine  effusions  of 
the  heart;  a  heart  eminently  tender,  sympathetic, 
generous,  and  deeply  imbued  with  Christian  feeling. 
The  hymns  relate  to  domestic  mercies  and  domestic 
affliction,  in  all  their  varieties  of  form  ;  including  mar- 
riage, the  birth  of  children,  baptism,  sickness,  recovery, 
bereavements,  the  case  of  unconverted  and  persecuted 
relations,  retirement  into  the  country,  and  removing  to  a 
new  habitation.  Notwithstanding  the  nature  of  these 
subjects,  not  one  of  the  hymns  contains  a  stanza  that  is 
either  trite  or  mean." 

This  volume  was  republished  in  London,  in  the  year 
1825,  when  its  appearance  was  thus  announced  in  the 
Wesley  an  Methodist  Magazine  :  "  It  is  with  feelings  of 
lively  gratification  that  we  call  the  attention  of  our 
readers  to  this  important  manual.  It  contains  one 
hundred  and  sixty- eight  hymns,  in  which  all  the  feel- 
ings of  devout  Christians,  under  the  diversified  occur- 
rences of  domestic  life,  are  expressed  in  language  of 
uncommon  force  and  elegance.  It  is  a  singular  cir- 
cumstance, that  a  work  of  such  value  should  have  re- 
mained out  of  print  for  the  long  space  of  half  a  cen- 
tury, until  scarcely  any  of  the  present  race  of  Method- 
ists ever  knew  of  its  existence." 

The  late  venerable  and  intelligent  Henry  Moore,  the 
biographer  of  Mr.  J.  Wesley,  gave  the  palm  to  C.  Wes- 
ley's Family  Hymn-book ;  and  Mr.  Jackson  remarks,  in 
reference  to  the  same  work,  that  no  person  of  pure 


210  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

mind  can  read  this  volume  without  loving  its  author. 
The  work  is  before  us.  It  comprises  180  pages,  but 
has  no  preface.  Some  of  the  titles  prefixed  to  the 
hymns  are  as  follow: — For  a  Woman  in  Travail — 
Thanksgiving  for  her  Safe  Delivery — At  the  Baptism  of 
a  Child — At  sending  a  Child  to  Boarding-school — 
Thanksgiving  after  a  Recovery  from  the  Small-pox — Ob- 
lation of  a  Sick  Friend — Prayers  for  a  Sick  Child — A  Fa- 
ther's Prayer  for  his  Son — The  Collier's  Hymn — For  a 
Persecuting  Husband — For  an  Unconverted  Wife — For 
Unconverted  Relations — For  a  Family  in  Want — To  be 
sung  at  the  Tea-table — For  one  retired  into  the  Country 
— A  Wedding  Song.  Besides  these,  there  are  hymns 
for  the  morning  and  evening ;  before  going  to  work, 
for  sleep,  and  for  the  sabbath ;  for  different  states  of 
mind,  as,  in  uncertainty,  in  affliction,  and  under  be- 
reavement ;  for  parents  and  children,  masters  and  ser- 
vants, young  men  and  maidens ;  and  on  various  other 
matters  relating  to  the  connections  of  a  family.  The 
following  nineteen  hymns  are  from  this  source  : — 

21.  Thou  Son  of  God,  whose  flaming  eyes. 

32.  With  glorious  clouds  encompass'd  round. 

42.  0  that  I  could  my  Lord  receive. 

64.  Let  the  redeem'd  give  thanks  and  praise. 

511.  God,  only  wise,  almighty,  good. 

512.  Father  of  lights,  thy  needful  aid. 

513.  How  shall  I  walk,  my  God  to  please. 
519.  The  power  to  bless  my  house. 

183.  O  Thou  who  hast  our  sorrows  borne. 
423.  Except  the  Lord  conduct  the  plan. 

450.  Come  wisdom,  power,  and  grace  divine- 

451.  O  Saviour,  cast  a  gracious  smile. 
453.  Holy  Lamb,  who  thee  confess. 
674.  God  of  eternal  truth  and  love. 
517.  Father  of  all,  by  whom  we  arc. 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  211 

515.  Master  supreme,  I  look  to  thee. 

516.  I  and  my  houso  will  serve  the  Lord. 

412.  Come  away  to  the  skies,  My  Beloved  arise. 
395.  Cast  on  the  fidelity  Of  my  redeeming  Lord. 

Also  the  two  hymns  in  the  Hymn-book  of  the  M.  E. 
Church,  South,  commencing, 

"  Jesus,  the  Lord  most  high." 

"  With  a  believing  master  bless'd." 

And  the  following  in  the  Wesleyan  collection: — 

"Meet  and  right  it  is  to  praise." 

':  How  good  and  pleasant  'tis  to  sec." 

"Father  of  omnipresent  grace." 

"  Come,  thou  all-inspiring  Spirit." 

"  0  that  I  first  of  love  possess'd." 

"  How  happy  are  we,  Who  in  Jesus  agree." 

It  has  already  been  mentioned  that  Mr.  Charles 
Wesley  published  a  tract  of  hymns  and  doxologies  to 
the  Holy  Trinity.  This  year,  1767,  he  issued  a  volume 
entitled  "  Hymns  on  the  Trinity,"  containing  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  hymns,  in  which  the  doctrine  of  the 
Trinity  is  exhibited  in  its  full  bearing.  The  greater 
part  of  them  are  founded  upon  particular  passages  of 
Holy  Scripture ;  and  the  whole  arranged  under  five 
distinct  heads  : — Hymns  on  the  Divinity  of  Christ ;  on 
the  Divinity  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  on  the  Plurality  and 
Trinity  of  Persons  in  the  Godhead ;  on  the  Trinity  in 
Unity  ;  Hymns  and  Prayers  to  the  Trinity. 

Mr.  Jackson  remarks  in  reference  to  this  work : 
"  There  is  not  in  the  English  language  a  volume  that, 
in  so  small  a  compass,  shows  more  clearly  the  Scrip- 
tural doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  with  its  practical  im- 
portance ;  and  it  has  this  peculiar  advantage,  that  it 


212  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGV. 

proposes  the  subject,  not  as  a  matter  of  controversy, 
but  of  faith  and  adoration,  of  prayer,  thanksgiving,  and 
praise." 

There  lies  before  the  writer  a  highly  prized  auto- 
graph copy  of  this  precious  little  manual,  in  almost  as 
perfect  a  state  as  when  the  beloved  author,  more  than 
eighty  years  ago,  perhaps  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of 
some  dear  friend,  traced  with  his  own  hand  the  few 
words  which  now  add  such  additional  interest  to  the 
volume,  which  is  still  more  increased  by  the  fact  that 
it  was  published  anonymously.  The  inscription  is, 
"  C.  Wesley,  April  14,  1767."  The  volume  has  one 
hundred  and  thirty -two  pages,  is  without  a  preface,  and 
contributes  the  following  nine  hymns  to  the  contents 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Hymn-book : — 

213.  Holy,  holy,  holy  Lord. 

144.  Jehovah,  God  the  Father,  bless. 

296.  The  wisdom  own'd  by  all  thy  sons. 

690.  Hail,  co-essential  Three. 

215.  A  thousand  oracles  divine. 

284.  The  day  of  Christ,  the  day  of  God. 
536.  Spirit  of  truth,  essential  God. 

216.  Come,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost. 

214.  Hail,  holy,  holy,  holy  Lord ! 

Five  more  to  the  collection  used  by  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South  : — 

"  God,  the  offended  God,  most  high." 

:t  Baptized  into  thy  name." 

"  God  of  all  consolation." 

"  Praise  to  the  glorious  cause  of  all." 

"  Shout  to  the  great  Jehovah's  praise." 

And  the    hymn  in  the  English  Wesleyan   collection, 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  213 

"  Hail !  Father,  Son,  and  Spirit  great, 
Before  the  birth  of  time 
Enthroned  in  everlasting  state, 
Jehovah,  Elohim  !" 

The  last  hymn  in  the  volume  is  a  sublime  and  im- 
pressive prayer  for  the  overthrow  of  the  Mohammedan 
delusion,  and  the  commencement  of  the  millennial 
reign  of  Christ;  the  last  two  stanzas  of  which  are 
subjoined : — 

"  That  wand'ring  star,  who  blazed  and  fell, 

And  poison'd  many  a  crystal  stream, 
That  bitter,  first-born  child  of  hell, 

No  more  permit  him  to  blaspheme  ; 
Root  out  thine  Unitarian  foe, 

Nor  longer  let  his  place  be  found  ; 
The  crescent  by  the  cross  o'crthrow, 

And  loose  the  world  in  darkness  bound. 

"  It  must  be  so ;  the  day  is  near, 

The  far-spent  night  will  quickly  end, 
And  every  eye  discern  Thee  here, 

And  saints  perceive  their  King  descend ; 
When  all  arc  put  beneath  thy  feet, 

And  death,  the  latest  foe,  is  slain, 
Then  I  shall  mount  thine  azure  seat, 

Then  I  shall  in  thy  presence  reign." 

The  poet  of  Methodism,  in  the  year  1*772,  published 
a  small  volume  entitled  "  Preparation  for  Death,  in 
Several  Hymns."  They  are  forty  in  number,  and  arc, 
says  Mr.  Jackson,  "  indeed  appropriate  to  the  occasion 
on  which  they  were  written  ;  expressing  deep  humili- 
ation and  shame  before  the  Lord,  at  the  remembrance 
of  past  unfaithfulness,  with  an  absolute  reliance  upon 
the  sacrifice  of  Christ,  for  present  pardon,  for  perfect 
holiness,  and  for  final  acceptance  with  God." 


214  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Whitefield,  which  took  place  more 
than  two  years  before,  appears  to  have  been  the  occa- 
sion of  these  pious  compositions.  Mr.  Wesley's  health 
being  at  the  same  time  much  impaired,  caused  the 
subject  of  his  own  dissolution  to  bear  with  peculiar 
weight  upon  his  mind  ;  hence  the  sentiments  expressed 
in  the  hymns  may  be  considered  as  nothing  more  than 
the  embodiment  of  the  deep  religious  feelings  of  his  own 
heart.  "A  more  pious  manual,"  says  his  biographer, 
"  was  never  sent  forth  from  the  press." 

This  year,  1780,  is  celebrated  in  the  annals  of  Eng- 
land, on  account  of  the  awful  mob-riots  which  took 
place  in  London,  resulting  from  the  imprudent  project 
of  Lord  George  Gordon,  of  anti-popish  notoriety.  The 
following  lines,  from  a  satirical  poem  written  during 
those  exciting  scenes,  by  C.  Wesley,  in  which  the  cow- 
ardly fears  of  the  London  magistrates,  as  well  as  the 
malice  of  the  mob,  are  severely  lashed,  refer  to  the 
conduct  of  Mr.  J.Wesley  and  his  followers  on  that  trying 
occasion,  who  were  falsely  and  maliciously  charged 
with  aiding  the  rioters.    The  mob  is  made  to  exclaim, — 

"  Old  Wesley,  too,  to  Papists  kind, 
Who  wrote  against  them  for  a  blind, 
Himself  a  Papist  still  in  heart, 
He  and  his  followers  shall  smart. 
Not  one  of  his  fraternity 
We  here  beneath  our  standard  see." 

These  insane  movements  were  made  the  occasion  by 
C.  Wesley,  who  was  ever  ready  to  seize  upon  any  cir- 
cumstances by  which  he  could  either  promote  civil 
order  or  produce  religious  reformation,  for  publishing 
a  pamphlet  entitled,  "  Hymns  written  in  the  Time  of 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  215 

the  Tumults,  June,  1780."  The  pious  author,  says 
Mr.  Jackson,  in  these  hymns  feelingly  contemplated  the 
fate  of  the  innocent  sufferers  ;  commended  the  perse- 
cuted Romanists  to  the  merciful  protection  of  God ; 
prayed  for  the  king  and  royal  family ;  for  the  sup- 
pression of  anarchy,  and  the  revival  of  law ;  and  that 
the  guilty  contrivers  of  evil  might  be  brought  to  jus- 
tice. Two  specimens  of  this  remarkable  tract  are 
subjoined : — 

"  Thou  most  compassionate  High  Priest, 
In  answer  to  our  joint  request, 

United  to  thy  own, 
With  pity's  softest  eye  behold 
The  sheep  which  are  not  of  this  fold, 

The  church  in  Babylon. 

"As  sheep  appointed  to  be  slain, 
By  cruel,  persecuting  men, 

By  fierce  fanatic  zeal ; 
By  Christian  wolves,  reform'd  in  name, 
Whose  dire  atrocious  deeds  proclaim 
The  synagogue  of  hell. 

"  The  help  to  the  distress'd  afford, 
The  men  that  tremble  at  thy  word, 

The  quiet  of  the  land  ; 
The  worshipers,  if  blind,  sincere, 
Who  honor  thy  vicegerent*  here, 
And  bless  his  mild  command." 

The  following  stanzas  are  from  a  hymn  written  on 
the  memorable  8th  of  June  : — 

"  See  where  the  impetuous  waster  comes, 
Like  Legion  rushing  through  the  tombs  ; 
Like  stormy  seas,  that  toss  and  roar, 
And  foam,  and  lash  the  trembling  shore  ! 

*  The  king. 


21G  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

" '  Havock  !'  th'  infernal  leader  cries  ; 
'  Havock ! '  th'  associate  host  replies  ; 
The  rabble  shouts,  the  torrent  pours, 
The  city  sinks,  the  flame  devours. 

"  Our  arm  of  flesh  entirely  fails, 
The  many-headed  beast  prevails  ; 
Conspiracy  the  state  o'erturns, 
Gallia  exults,  and  London  burns  ! 

"  Ann  of  the  Lord,  awake,  put  on 
Thy  strength,  and  cast  Apollyon  down ; 
Jesus,  against  the  murd'rers  rise, 
And  blast  them  with  thy  flaming  eyes." 

We  have  now  arrived  at  the  year  in  which  Mr.  John 
Wesley  published  his  large  Hymn-book,  for  general  use 
among  his  societies  in  England  and  throughout  the 
world ;  but,  as  he  and  his  brother  afterward  issued 
several  more  tracts  and  volumes  of  hymns,  further  no- 
tice of  the  large  work  will  be  deferred  until  the  others 
have  been  noticed. 

During  the  year  1782  was  issued  from  Mr.  Wesley's 
press  a  tract  of  forty-seven  pages,  in  two  parts,  enti- 
tled, "  Hymns  for  the  Nation."  This  work  is  not  men- 
tioned in  the  Life  of  Charles  Wesley,  but  its  contents 
were  doubtless  the  production  of  his  pen,  having  par- 
ticular reference  to  the  condition  of  the  country  at  the 
time,  England  then  being  at  war  with  her  "  rebellious" 
transatlantic  colonies.  One  hymn  only  from  this  tract, 
entitled,  "  On  the  American  War,"  has  been  inserted  in 
the  English  and  American  Hymn-books.  It  is  hymn 
634,— 

"  Saviour,  whom  our  hearts  adore, 
To  bless  our  earth  again, 
Now  assume  thy  royal  power, 
And  o'er  the  nations  reign." 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  21  7 

The  Oxford  Methodists,  or  "  Holy  Club,"  as  the  first 
little  society  was  in  derision  called,  from  the  commence- 
ment of  their  religious  course,  complied  with  singular 
assiduity  with  the  Scriptural  injunction  which  makes  it 
the  duty  of  Christ's  followers  to  administer  of  their 
ability  both  to  the  temporal  and  spiritual  wants  of  the 
poor  and  unfortunate  portion  of  mankind,  by  visiting 
them  at  their  humble  dwellings,  in  work-houses,  and  in 
prisons  ;*  and  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of  condemned 
felons,  especially,  Mr.  C.  Wesley  had  always  manifested 
the  utmost  solicitude.  "  His  tender  heart,"  says  his 
biographer,  "yearned  over  this  class  of  transgressors. 
He  visited  them  in  their  cells  ;  wept  with  them  because 
of  their  guilt  and  misery ;  taught  them  the  way  to  the 
mercy-seat  of  God,  through  the  death  of  his  Son ; 
prayed  with  them ;  brought  their  case  before  his  con- 
gregations, and  urged  his  friends  to  invoke  the  divine 
pity  upon  them." 

The  last  work  that  he  ever  sent  from  the  press,  had 
respect  to  a  large  number  of  culprits,  who  suffered  the 
same  year  it  was  published.  It  was  a  tract  of  twelve 
pages,  entitled,  "Prayers  for  Condemned  Malefac- 
tors," consisting  of  hymns  suitable  to  their  state, 
"breathing  the  spirit  of  fear  and  contrition,  and  distinctly 
recognizing  the  evangelical  doctrine  of  free  and  present 
salvation  from  sin,  to  be  obtained  by  faith  in  the  sacrifi- 
cial death  of  Christ."  In  these  labors  of  love  he  was 
signally  owned  of  God.     In  a  manuscript  note,  append- 

*  Mr.  Morgan  was  the  honored  pioneer  into  these  dark  ahodes : 
had  he  lived,  he  would  have  probably  rivaled  even  the  Wesleys 
in  spreading  Scriptural  holiness  over  Great  Britain.  He  died 
very  young,  in  1732.  Mr.  Samuel  Wesley  wrote  a  heautiful 
poem  on  his  death. 

10 


218  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

ed  to  one  of  these  hymns,  Mr.  Wesley  says  :  "  These 
prayers  were  answered  Thursday,  April  28th,  1785,  on 
nineteen  malefactors,  who  all  died  penitent." 

In  the  year  1785,  J.  Wesley  published  a  volume  en- 
titled, "  A  Pocket  Hymn-book,  for  the  Use  of  Chris- 
tians of  all  Denominations."  The  following  is  Mr. 
Wesley's  address  to  the  reader  : — 

"  In  the  Hymn-book  which  I  published  about  four 
years  since,  although  it  was  larger  than  I  at  first  in- 
tended, there  was  no  room  for  very  many  of  our  hymns 
which  were  no  way  inferior  to  those  contained  therein. 
A  collection  of  these,  as  I  found  many  desired  it,  I 
have  now  published  in  a  smaller  volume,  including  a 
very  few  of  those  which  were  published  in  the  other. 
Several  of  these  I  omitted  before,  because  I  was  afraid 
they  would  not  be  understood  by  a  common  congrega- 
tion. But  if  some  do  not  understand  them,  I  make  no 
doubt  but  many  others  will,  and,  I  trust,  profit  thereby  : 
and  the  deeper  the  meaning  is,  the  more  it  will  profit 
those  that  do  understand  them." 

Two  years  after  the  appearance  of  the  volume  of 
hymns  just  noticed,  Mr.  Wesley  published  another, 
bearing  the  same  title.  The  occasion  of  sending  forth 
the  present  collection  is  detailed  in  the  preface ;  from 
which  it  appears,  that  the  conduct  of  the  booksellers  in 
Mr.  Wesley's  time  was  similar  to  that  manifested  now- 
adays by  some  of  the  same  class  of  money-makers. 
Mr.  Wesley  had  been  for  many  years  supplying  his 
numerous  followers  with  works  of  various  kinds  besides 
Hymn-books  from  his  own  press  ;  and  when  it  is  recol- 
lected how  very  extensive  the  sales  must  have  been,  it 
is  not  at  all  surprising  that  the  depravity  of  human 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  219 

nature  should  exhibit  itself  in  an  attempt  by  one  of  the 
fraternity  to  supplant  Mr.  Wesley's  publications  by 
surreptitious  editions  of  his  most  saleable  works — and 
none  were  more  so  than  his  Hymn-books.* 

"  A  few  years  ago,"  says  Mr.  Wesley,  "  I  was  desired 
by  many  of  our  preachers  to  prepare  and  publish  a 
small  Hymn-book,  to  be  used  in  common  in  our  socie- 
ties. This  I  promised  to  do  as  soon  as  I  had  finished 
some  other  business  which  was  then  on  my  hands.  But 
before  I  could  do  this,  a  bookseller  stepped  in,  and, 
without  my  consent  or  knowledge,  extracted  such  a 
book,  chiefly  from  our  works,  and  spread  several  editions 
of  it  throughout  the  kingdom."  Consequently,  when 
Mr.  Wesley's  book  made  its  appearance,  most  of  his 
people  were  already  supplied  with  the  other  book.  But 
to  cut  off  all  pretense  from  the  Methodists  for  buying 
the  spurious  work,  the  conference  advised  Mr.  Wesley 
to  republish  it  himself.  He  did  so  ;  but  with  the  altera- 
tions and  improvements  which  appear  in  the  volume 
now  under  consideration,  some  of  which  are  thus  an- 
nounced : — 

"  Out  of  those  two  hundred  and  thirty-two  hymns," 
lie  remarks,  "  I  have  omitted  seven  and  thirty.  These 
I  did  not  dare  to  palm  upon  the  world,  because 
fourteen  of  them  appeared  to  me  very  flat  and  dull ; 
fourteen  more  mere  prose,  tagged  with  rhyme  ;  and  nine 

*  The  comparatively  insignificant  commencement  of  Mr. 
Wesley's  publishing  operations  are  related  by  himself,  thus : — 
<:  Two  and  forty  years  ago,"  says  he,  "  having  a  desire  to  furnish 
poor  people  with  cheaper,  shorter,  and  plainer  hooks,  than  I  had 
ever  seen,  I  wrote  many  small  tracts,  generally  a  penny  a  piece  ; 
and  afterward  several  larger.  Some  of  these  had  such  a  sale 
as  I  never  thought  of;  and,  by  this  means,  I  unawares  became 
rich  /"     But  he  did  not  remain  so — he  gave  all  away. 


220  METHODIST    HYMXOLOGY. 

more,  to  be  grevious  doggerel.  But  a  friend  tells  me, 
*  Some  of  these,  especially  the  two  that  are  doggerel 
double  distilled,  namely, 

"  The  despised  Nazarene," 
and  that  which  begins, 

"  A  Christ  I  have,  0  what  a  Christ  have  I," 
are  hugely  admired,  and  continually  echoed  from  Ber- 
wick-upon-Tweed to  London.'  If  they  are,  I  am  sorry 
for  it ;  it  will  bring  a  deep  reproach  upon  the  judgment 
of  the  Methodists.  But  I  dare  not  increase  that  re- 
proach by  countenancing,  in  any  degree,  such  an  insult 
both  on  religion  and  common  sense  :  and  I  earnestly 
entreat  all  our  preachers  not  only  never  to  give  them 
out,  but  to  discountenance  them  by  all  prudent  means, 
both  in  public  and  private." 

There  lies  before  us  an  old  English  Hymn-book,  in 
which  is  fond  the  former  of  the  above-mentioned  objec- 
tionable hymns;  and,  as  it  will  doubtless  gratify  the 
interested  reader  to  see  a  specimen  of  that  class  of 
hymns  denominated  by  Mr.  Wesley,  "  doggerel  double 
distilled,"  I  will  introduce  it  here.  Its  introduction 
may  not  only  prove  a  gratification,  but  also  a  useful 
warning  and  reproof  to  all  who  may  be  disposed  to 
prefer  such  hymns  to  the  truly  excellent  compositions 
of  our  own  Hymn-book.     It  is  as  follows : — 

The  despised  Nazarene, 
Who  is  chief  in  my  esteem  ; 
Mark'd  with  scourges,  nails,  and  spear, 
Hung  an  ensign  in  the  air  ! 
None  among  the  sons  of  men, 
None  among  the  heavenly  train, 
Can  with  my  Beloved  compare, 
Who  to  mo  is  over  dear. 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOUV.  221 

Had  I  a  G&briei's  heavenly  tongue 
Jesus'  love  should  be  my  song ; 
Author  of  my  present  peace, 
Fountain  of  eternal  bliss, 
Happy,  now,  beyond  degree, 
While  I  feel  he  died  for  me  ! 
When  his  richest  grace  I  prove, 
All  my  soul  dissolves  in  love. 

Other  lovers  I  despise, 
Only  Jesus'  love  I  prize  : 
Earthly  things  are  far  too  mean 
To  withdraw  my  soul  from  him  ; 
How,  my  Lord,  shall  I  set  forth 
All  thy  dignity  and  worth  ? 
Human  words  cannot  express 
Half  thy  love,  or  half  thy  praise. 

From  thy  fullness  mc  supply, 
All  my  nature  sanctify ; 
Let  me  all  thy  goodness  prove, 
All  the  saving  power  of  love ; 
My  whole  soul  with  love  inflame 
While  I  sing  my  Saviours  name  ; 
Who  from  sin  hath  set  me  free, 
In  the  gospel  liberty. 

In  reference  to  the  surreptitious  book,  which  was,  it 
seems,  published  by  a  "Methodist  bookseller!"  Mr. 
Wesley  states,  that  nearly  the  whole  of  it  was  taken 
from  his  and  his  brother's  publications,  only  a  few 
"  shreds"  being  taken  "  out  of  other  books  for  form's 
sake." 

There  can  be  but  little  doubt  that  the  strong  and 
unequivocal  disapprobation  expressed  by  Mr.  Wesley  in 
his  preface  against  the  introduction  of  "prose  tagged 
with  rhyme"  compositions  into  the  books  used  by  his 
societies ;  and  the  promptness  with  which  he  expelled  the 


222  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

"grievous  doggerel,"  and  severely  rebuked  the  shame- 
ful conduct  of  the  publisher  who  sought  to  palm  the 
objectional  book  upon  the  people  ;  have  been  the  cause 
of  preserving  that  high  degree  of  excellence  which 
has  always,  by  competent  judges,  been  awarded  to 
the  standard  Methodist  Hymn-book.  Although  the 
"  Pocket  Hymn-book "  was  highly  spoken  of  by  Mr. 
Wesley,  it  was  not  his  favorite,  as  we  may  learn  from 
the  following  remarks  :  "lam  bold,"  says  he,  "  to  re- 
commend this  small  Hymn-book,  as  the  best  of  the 
size  that  has  ever  been  published  among  the  Methodists. 
But  it  is  still  greatly  inferior  to  the  large  Hymn-book." 

From  the  numerous  volumes  and  tracts  of  hymns 
which  he  and  his  brother  had  previously  published,  Mr. 
John  Wesley  compiled  his  large  Hymn-book,  entitled, 
"A  Collection  of  Hymns  for  the  Use  of  the  People 
called  Methodists,"  which  was  published,  by  sub- 
scription,* in  the  year  1780.  It  is  a  duodecimo 
volume  of  five  hundred  and  four  pages,  exclusive  of  the 
index,  and  contained  five  hundred  and  twenty-five 
hymns. 

The  preface  to  this  work  is  a  strikingly  charac- 
teristic production.  During  the  last  forty  years,  he 
and  his  brother  had  sent  forth  an  extraordinary 
number  of  Hymn-books ;  "  so  that  it  may  be  doubted," 
says  Mr.  Wesley,  "whether  any  religious  community 
in  the  world  has  a  greater  variety  of  them."  But  this 
"  immense  variety"  furnished  the  very  occasion  for  com- 

*  "  One  thing  more  I  desire,  that  you  would  read  the  proposals 
for  the  general  Hymn-book  in  every  society,  and  procure  as  many 
subscribers  as  you  can." — Letter  from  Mr.  W.  to  Rev.  John  Mason, 
Nov.,  1779.     Works,  vol.  vii,  p.  97. 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  223 

piling  the  present  work :  "  the  greater  part  of  the  peo- 
ple being  poor,  are  not  able  to  purchase  so  many 
books  ;"  hence  the  necessity  of  a  "  proper  collection  of 
hymns  for  general  use,  carefully  made  out  of  all  these 
books." 

In  reference  to  the  character  of  the  poetry,  Mr. 
Wesley  remarks  :  "In  these  hymns  there  is  no  dog- 
gerel, no  botches,  nothing  put  in  to  patch  up  the 
rhyme,  no  feeble  expletives — nothing  turgid  or  bom- 
bastic on  the  one  hand,  or  low  and  creeping  on  the 
other — no  cant  expressions,  no  words  without  meaning. 
Here  are,  allow  me  to  say,  both  the  purity,  the  strength, 
and  the  elegance,  of  the  English  language,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  the  utmost  simplicity  and  plainness,  suited 
to  every  capacity." 

But  "  that  which  is  of  infinitely  more  moment  than 
the  spirit  of  poetry,  is  the  spirit  of  piety."  And  "  as 
but  a  small  part  of  these  hymns,"  says  Mr.  Wesley,  "  is 
of  my  own  composing,  I  do  not  think  it  inconsistent 
with  modesty  to  declare,  that  I  am  persuaded  no  such 
Hymn-book  as  this  has  yet  been  published  in  the  En- 
glish language.  In  what  other  publication  of  the  kind 
have  you  so  distinct  and  full  an  account  of  Scriptural 
Christianity?  such  a  declaration  of  the  heights  and 
depths  of  religion,  speculative  and  practical  ?  so  strong 
cautions  against  the  most  plausible  errors ;  particularly 
those  that  are  now  most  prevalent  ?  and  so  clear  direc- 
tions for  making  our  calling  and  election  sure  ;  for  per- 
fecting holiness  in  the  fear  of  God  '?" 

Soon  after  Mr.  Wesley's  death,  the  volume  under- 
went some  altt  rati< m.  Eleven  hymns  were  omitted,  and 
others  substituted  in  their  places  ;  six  were  divided,  and 
each  of  them  counted  as  two  hymns ;  twenty-one  were 


224  METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY. 

inserted  in  the  body,  and  the  same  number  of  "  addition- 
al hymns  "  at  the  end  of  the  volume.  And  in  the  year 
1830,  another  addition,  by  way  of  a  "Supplement," 
containing  two  hundred  and  one  hymns,  was  appended 
to  the  collection ;  the  whole  forming  the  Hymn-book 
now  in  general  use  among  Wesleyan  Methodists  through- 
out the  world.  From  this  "  collection"  the  hymns  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Hymn-book  were  "principally" 
derived,  as  stated  in  the  title-page  of  that  work. 
The  omitted  hymns  commence  thus : — 

"  Ah !  foolish  world,  forbear." 

"  Friend  of  sinners,  in  thy  heart." 

<:  Jesu,  as  taught  by  thee,  I  pray." 

"  Jesu,  my  Lord,  my  God." 

';  Jesus,  thou  art  the  mighty  God." 

"  0  Thou,  of  whom  I  oft  have  heard." 

"  0  Lord  our  God,  we  bless  thee  now." 

"  Saviour,  if  thy  precious  love." 

"  The  wisdom,  own'd  by  all  thy  sons." 

"  Thee,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost." 

"  When  my  relief  will  most  display." 

In  reference  to  the  alteration  mentioned,  Mr.  Burgess 
says :  "  On  comparing  the  hymns  omitted  with  those 
substituted  for  them,  most  persons  will  probably  agree 
that  the  alteration  has  been  very  much  for  the  better. 
The  hymns  omitted,  though  by  no  means  destitute  of 
poetical  merit,  and  superior,  indeed,  to  many  that  have 
appeared  in  modern  compilations,  are  generally  below 
the  standard  of  Wesleyan  compositions  ;  none  of  them 
certainly  of  any  particular  excellence.  Whereas, 
among  the  hymns  substituted  are  several  of  very  supe- 
rior value ;  some  as  fine  evangelical  paraphrases  of  Scrip- 
ture passages;  some  as  being  admirably  adapted  for 
public  worship ;  and  some  as  being  beautifully  descrip- 


METHODIST    I1VMN0L0GY.  225 

ti\ ■«■  i  >f  inward  and  experimental  religion.  Most  of  these 
twenty-one  hymns,  indeed,  are  in  all  respects  so  excel- 
lent, thai  the  wonder  is,  how  Mr.  Wesley  came  to  over- 
look them,  when  preparing  his  standard  collection  for 
general  use." 

The  '•Supplement"  was  "compiled  chiefly  from  the 
festival  and  oilier  hymns  which  Mr.  Charles  Wesley 
published  in  separate  pamphlets,  and  from  his  unpub- 
lished poetry,  which,  by  purchase  from  his  heir,  along 
with  other  papers,  has  lately  become  the  property  of 
the  connection.  To  these  some  hymns  have  been 
added  from  other  authors,  chiefly  from  Dr.  Watts;  and 
a  few  which,  though  they  sink  below  the  rank  of  Wes- 
ley an  poetry,  are  inserted  because  of  some  excellence 
which  will  be  found  in  the  sentiment,  and  the  greater 
choice  of  subjects  which  they  afford.  Most  of  the 
hymns,  however,  were  inserted  in  the  Morning  Hymn- 
book,  prepared  by  Mr.  Wesley  for  the  London  congre- 
gations, or  in  a  smaller  collection  published  by  him; 
and  so  had  his  sanction.  A  few  others  have  been  in- 
troduced because  of  their  popular  character,  and  their 
li.  tog  favorites  with  many  of  our  people." — Advertise- 
ment to  the  Supplement. 

The  following  remarks  in  reference  to  the  "  Supple- 
ment "  are  from  the  Wesleyan  Methodist  Magazine: — 
"  The  late  Dr.  Coke  incorporated  with  the  Hymn-book, 
published  by  Mr.  Wesley,  a  considerable  number  of 
hymns  adapted  to  mixed  congregations,  and  to  occa- 
sional services,  for  the  use  of  the  Irish  Connection; 
and  the  same  has  been  done  by  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  in  America.  That  the  English  Conference 
have  so  long  forborne  to  follow  these  examples,  is  a 
proof  of  their  unwillingness  to  innovate  upon  the  estab- 
10* 


226  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

lished  usages  of  the  connection;  and  the  manner  in 
which  the  deficiency  that  has  been  so  long  felt,  is  now 
supplied,  is  a  striking  proof  of  the  paternal  character 
of  that  body.  The  additional  hymns  are  not  mixed  up 
with  the  others,  so  as  to  render  the  books  in  use  of  no 
value,  as  was  done  both  in  Ireland  and  America,*  but 
are  published  in  a  small  separate  volume,  and  may  be 
attached  to  the  Hymn-book  without  inconvenience." 

The  "  Supplement "  has  not  only  been  bound  up  with 
every  subsequent  edition  of  the  Hymn-book,  but  there 
has  been  prepared,  in  addition  to  the  "  Index  to  the 
Hymns,"  a  copious  "  Index  to  the  Subjects "  of  the 
whole  book,  and  also  an  "  Index  to  the  Verses"  so 
that  any  hymn  in  the  collection  may  be  found  with  fa- 
cility, if  the  first  line  of  any  verse  be  known,  by  a  re- 
ference to  this  Index.  These  are  aids  of  incalculable 
value  to  a  student  of  the  Hymn-book. 

There  is  a  peculiarity  appertaining  to  some  editions 
of  the  large  Hymn-book,  which  will  be  explained  by 
the  following  extract  from  the  Minutes  of  the  English 
Conference  for  1799  : — 

"  Q.  What  direction  shall  be  given  in  respect  to  the 
printing  of  our  books  ? 

"A.  1.  Dr.  Coke,  brother  Story,  brother  Moore, 
and  brother  Clarke,  are  appointed  to  reduce  the  large 
Hymn-book  to  its  primitive  simplicity,  as  published  in 
the  second  edition ;  with  liberty  to  add  a  word  now 
and  then,  in  the  way  of  note,  to  explain  a  difficult  pas- 

*  The  "  Supplement"  to  the  American  Hymn-hook  was  add- 
ed in  1836,  taken  principally  from  that  appended  to  the  Eng- 
lish collection ;  hence  the  above  remarks,  which  were  -written  in 
1831,  refer  to  the  American  Hymn-book  previous  to  the  addi- 
tion of  the  Supplement. 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  ~-7 

sage,  for  the  sake  of  the  unlearned :  and  a  discre- 
tionary power  is  given  them,  in  respect  to  the  addi- 
tional hymns." 

An  old  copy  of  the  Hymn-book,  containing  the 
notes,  is  before  the  writer ;  a  few  specimens  of  which 
will  be  given  at  the  bottom  of  the  page,  as  in  the 
Hymn-book. 

In  the  third  verse  of  the  hymn  commencing, 
':  Jesus,  my  Advocate  above," 
is  this  line — 

"  A  deeper  displacence  *  at  sin." 

The  italicised  word  is  explained  in  the  note  below,  as 
are  also  the  italicised  words  which  occur  in  the  follow- 
ing extracts. 

In  the  fifth  verse  of  the  hymn  beginning,  "  I  wain 
the  spirit  of  power  within  " — 

"  Where  the  indubitable  f  seal, 
That  ascertains  the  kingdom  mine'?" 

]\\  the  third  verse  of  the  hymn  commencing,  "Jesus, 
the  Conqu'rer,  reigns  " — 

"  Fight  the  good  fight  of  faith  with  me, 
My  fellow-soldiers,  fight ; 
In  mighty  phalanx  J  join'd, 

To  battle  all  proceed." 

In  the  seventh  verse  of  the  hymn  beginning,  "  God 
of  unspotted  purity  " — 

*  "Displacence;  disgust,  aversion,  abhorrence." 

!    ■  /  o  certain  or  evident,  as  to  admit  of  no  doubt 

or  suspicion  of  its  truth." 
X" Phalanx,  a  battalion  of  infantry  set  close  to  each  other, 

with  their  shields  joined." 


228  METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGV. 

'•  Thou  rather  wouldst  that  we  were  cold, 
Than  seem  to  serve  thee  without  zeal ; 
Less  guilty,  if,  with  those  of  old, 

They  worship' d  Thor  and  Woden*  still." 

The  hymn  from  which  this  verse  is  taken,  is  not  in 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Hymn-book,  but  is  retained  in 
the  English  collection  without  the  note,  which  we  sup- 
pose must  be  essential  to  many,  even  at  this  day,  for 
the  proper  understanding  of  the  terms  Thor  and 
Woden. 

The  last  example  that  will  be  noticed,  occurs  in  the 
fifth  verse  of  the  hymn  commencing,  "  How  weak  the 
thoughts,  and  vain  " — 

"  Those  amaranthine]  bowers, 

Unalicnably  ours, 
Bloom,  our  infinite  reward  ; 

Rise,  our  permanent  abode ; 
From  the  founded  world  prepared  ; 

Purchased  by  the  Word  of  God." 

The  note  to  this  verse  is  rather  of  too  classic  a  nature 
for  the  comprehension  of  a  mind  so  illiterate  as  not  to 
understand  the  word  amaranthine,  containing,  as  it 
does,  a  reference  to  the  sublime  poem,  Paradise  Lost. 
The  beautiful  passage  in  Milton,  referred  to,  is  as 
follows : — 

"  Immortal  amaranth,  a  flower  which  once 
In  Paradise,  fast  by  the  tree  of  life, 
Began  to  bloom  ;  but  soon  for  man's  offense 
To  heaven  removed,  where  first  it  grew,  there  grows, 
And  flowers,  aloft,  shading  the  fount  of  life, 
And  where  the  river  of  bliss  through  midst  of  heaven 
Rolls  o'er  Elysian  flowers  her  amber  stream." 

*  "  Thor  and  Woden,  idols  worshiped  by  our  Saxon  ancestors." 
t  "  Amaranthine,  i.  e.  everlasting  ;  ever-blooming  ;  not  subject 
to  decay. — Sec  Milton's  Paradise  Lost,  book  iii.  line  352." 


METHODIST   IIYMX0L0GY.  229 

The  hymns  in  the  Wesleyan  Hymn-book  and  Sup- 
plement, when  classified  according  to  their  respective 
authors,  will  stand  thus — 

Dr.  Watts 66 

Dr.  Doddridge 10 

Dryden 1 

Addison 3 

Bishop  Kenn 2 

Tate  and  Brady 2 

Rev.  James  Merrick 1 

Dr.  Henry  More 2 

Cowpcr 2 

Rev.  Augustus  M.  Toplady 1 

Rev.  Joseph  Hart 1 

Rev.  Joseph  Stennctt 1 

Rev.  Thomas  Olivers 3 

Miss  Anne  Steele 3 

Rev.  Benjamin  Rhodes 2 

Rev.  John  Bakewell 1 

Mrs.  Agnes  Buhner 1 

Rev.  William  M.  Bunting 1 

Rev.  Samuel  Wesley,  Sen 1 

Rev.  Samuel  Wesley,  Jun 6 

Rev.  John  Wesley 32 

Rev.  Charles  Wesley 627 

Authors  unknown 1 

770 
Thus  it  appears,  that  to  Charles  Wesley,  the  Wes- 
leyan Methodists,  under  God,  are  indebted  for  about 
627  out  of  110  hymns,  which  constitute  the  collection 
now  in  use  among  them.  The  proportion  of  hymns 
by  C.  Wesley  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Hymn-book 
is  not  quite  so  large. 


230  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 


PART   III. 

WHEREIN  ARE  NOTICED  IN  CONSECUTIVE  ORDER  THE  HYMNS 
IN  THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  HYMN-BOOK,  WITH  REMARKS 
CRITICAL,  HISTORICAL,  EXPLANATORY,  &c. 

Hymn  1.  "  0  for  a  thousand  tongues  to  sing." — C.  Wesley. 

This  hymn  was  first  published  in  1739,  and  was  pro- 
bably composed  just  one  year  after  the  conversion  of 
John  and  Charles  Wesley.  It  is  entitled,  "For  the 
Anniversary  of  One's  Conversion."  It  originally  com- 
prised eighteen  verses,  that  which  constitutes  the  first 
in  the  Hymn-book  being  the  seventh.  The  following 
are  the  four  opening  stanzas  : — 

"  Glory  to  God,  and  praise,  and  love, 
Be  ever,  ever  given, 
By  saints  below,  and  saints  above, 
The  church  in  earth  and  heaven. 

"  On  this  glad  day  the  glorious  Sun 
Of  righteousness  arose ; 
On  my  benighted  soul  he  shone, 
And  fill'd  it  with  repose. 

"  Sudden  expired  the  legal  strife ; 
'Twas  then  I  ceased  to  grieve  ; 
My  second,  real,  living  life, 
I  then  began  to  live. 

"  Then  with  my  heart  I  first  believed, 
Believed  with  faith  divine, 
Power  with  the  Holy  Ghost  received 
To  call  the  Saviour  mine." 

Of  the  remaining  omitted  verses,  the  subjoined  two, 
15  and  16,  are  very  remarkable  :  from  them,  it  will 
appear,  that  Mr.   Charles  Wesley  did  not  adopt  the 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  231 

opinion  entertained  by  many  persons,  that  licentious- 
ness is  a  subject  of  such  a  nature  as  not  to  admit  of  any 
direct  notice,  much  less  open  exposure  : — 

';  Harlots,  and  publicans,  and  thieves, 
In  holy  triumph  join ! 
Saved  is  the  sinner,  that  believes, 
From  crimes  as  great  as  mine. 

"  Murd'rers,  and  all  ye  hellish  crew, 
Ye  sons  of  lust  and  pride, 
Believe  the  Saviour  died  for  you ; 
For  me  the  Saviour  died." 

In  verse  6,  the  poet  of  Methodism  has  expressed  the 
same  ideas  as  Pope  in  the  "Messiah  :" — 

"  The  Saviour  comes  !  by  ancient  bards  foretold  : 
Hear  him,  ye  deaf,  and  all  ye  blind,  behold  ! 
*  *  *  #  #  # 

The  dumb  shall  sing,  the  lame  his  crutch  forego, 
And  leap  exulting  like  the  bounding  roc." 

Hymn  2.  "  Come,  ye  sinners,  poor  and  needy." — Hart. 

The  title  of  this  hymn  is,  "  Come  and  Welcome  to 
Jesus  Christ."     The  author  wrote  the  first  line  thus  : — 

"  Come,  ye  sinners,  poor  and  wretched ;" 

and  the  fourth, — 

"  Full  of  pity,  joined  with  power." 
The  second  stanza,  as  originally  published,  commences 
with,  "  Ho  ! "  and  the  third  ends  with  "  rising  beam." 
The  first  line  of  the  fifth  stanza  reads, — 

"  View  him  grooving  in  the  garden  ;" 
the  third  line  of  verse  G,  "venture  wholly ;"  and  the 
hymn  concludes  thus, — 

"  Sinners  here  may  sing  the  same." 


232  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGf. 

Hymn  3.  <:  Come,  sinners,  to  the  gospel  feast." — C.  Wesley. 

A  paraphrase  of  Luke  xiv,  16-24,  entitled,  "The 
Great  Supper,"  and  has  twenty-four  verses ;  those 
which  compose  our  hymn  are  the  first,  second,  twelfth, 
twentieth,  twenty-first,  twenty-second,  and  twenty- 
fourth.     The  second  and  third  lines  of  verse  6  read 

thus, — 

"  Behold  the  bleeding  sacrifice ! 
His  offer d  love  make  Jiaste  f  embrace." 

Hymn  4.  "  Sinners,  turn,  why  will  ye  die  ?" — C.  Wesky. 

An  expansion  of  part  of  EzeJc.  xviii,  31  :  "Why  will 
ye  die,  0  house  of  Israel  ?  "  The  first  four  of  sixteen 
stanzas.  Hymn  14  is  part  of  the  same  composi- 
tion. 

Hymn  5.  "  Sinners,  obey  the  gospel  word." — C.  Wesley. 

"  Come,  for  all  things  are  now  ready."  Luke  xiv, 
17.  The  second  line  of  verse  5,  part  first,  commences, 
" Is  ready;"  and  the  first  line  of  verse  3,  second  part, 
"  The  godly  grief."  The  first  two  fines  of  the  second, 
and  last  line  of  the  fifth,  stanza,  part  first,  are  plain 
allusions  to  the  return  of  the  prodigal  son,  as  presented 
in  the  well-known  parable. 

Hymn  6.  "Blow  ye  the  trumpet,  blow."—  C.  Wesley. 

A  Hymn  for  New-Year's  Day.    See  pages  185,  186. 

This  hymn  is  founded  upon  the  year  of  Jubilee,  as 
appointed  in  the  Jewish  law.  See  Leviticus  xxv.  It 
presents  an  attractive  contrast  between  that  law  and 
the  redemption  wrought  for  mankind  by  the  shedding 
of  the  Saviour's  blood.  The  fifth  verse  is  almost  a 
paraphrase  of  that  portion  of  the  law  which  enjoins  the 
return  of  all  alienated  property  to  its  original  owners. 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  '233 

It  is  presented  as  a  type  of  the  free  salvation  which  is 
offered  to  all  men  through  the  atonement  of  Jesus. 

Hymn  7.  "  O  all  that  pass  by,  To  Jesus  draw  near." 
Hymn  8.  "  Thy  faithfulness,  Lord,  each  moment  we  find." 

C.  Wesley. 

These  two  are  "  Hymns  on  God's  Everlasting  Love." 
From  hymn  8  one  stanza,  the  first,  has  been  omitted. 

Hymn  9.  "  Weary  souls,  that  wander  wide." — C.  Wesley. 
A  "  Redemption  Hymn,"  entitled  the  "  Invitation." 

Hymn  10.  "  Lovers  of  pleasure  more  than  God." — C.  Wesley. 
Part  of  hymn  111. 

Hymn  11.  "  Awake,  Jerusalem,  awake." — C.  Wesley. 

From  a  paraphrase  of  the  fifty-second  chapter  of 
Isaiah,  comprising  thirty-two  stanzas. 

Hymn  12.  "Ho!  every  one  that  thirsts,  draw  nigh." — C.  Wesley. 
The  first  nine  stanzas  of  a  paraphrase  of  the  fifty- 
fifth  chapter  of  Isaiah,  consisting  of  thirty-one  stanzas. 

Hymn  13.  "Let  every  mortal  ear  attend." — Waits. 

"  The  Invitation  of  the  Gospel :  or,  Spiritual  Food 
and  Clothing."  Isaiah  lv,  1,  &c.  Nine  stanzas ;  the  sixth, 
seventh,  and  eighth,  being  omitted  from  the  Hymn-book. 

Hymn  14.  "Let  the  beasts  their  breath  resign. —  C.  Wesley. 
Part  of  hymn  4. 

Hymn  15.  :;  Sec,  sinners,  in  the  gospel  glass." 

Hymn  16.  "  Sinners,  believe  the  gospel  word." — C.  Wesley. 

These  two  are  portions  of  a  hymn  of  eighteen  verses, 
entitled,    "  Jesus   Christ,    the    Saviour   of   all   Men." 


234  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  199  is  the  latter  part  of  the  same  poem.  The 
fourth  verse  of  hymn  16  contains  an  affecting  allusion 
to  Matt,  xxiii,  37-39  :  "0  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  thou 
that  killest  the  prophets,"  &c. 

Hymn  17.  "  Sinners,  the  call  obey." — C.  Wesley. 

"For  Times  of  Trouble  and  Persecution."  Eight 
stanzas  :  the  third,  fourth,  and  fifth,  being  omitted  from 
the  Hymn-book,  the  last  of  which  is  subjoined : — 

"  See  how  his  meteors  glare ! 

(The  tokens  understand,) 
Famine,  and  pestilence,  and  war, 

Hang  o'er  the  guilty  land ! 
Signs  in  the  heavens  see, 

And  hear  the  speaking  rod  ; 
Sinner,  the  judgment  points  to  thee, 

Prepare  to  meet  thy  God ! " 

Hymn  18.  "  Ye  thirsty  for  God,  To  Jesus  give  ear." — C.  Wesley. 
"  Jesus  stood  and  cried,  saying,  If  any  man  thirst,  let 
him  come  unto  me,  and  drink." — John  xii,  3*7. 

Hymn  19.  "Lord,  we  are  vile,  conceived  in  sin." — Watts. 

"  Original  and  actual  Sin  confessed."  Second  part 
of  Psalm  51.  Dr.  Watts  wrote  the  third  and  fourth 
lines  of  verse  3,  thus, — 

"  0  make  me  wise  betimes  to  spy 
My  danger  and  my  remedy." 

This  hymn  is  a  faithful  representation  of  man  in  his 
natural  state  of  corruption,  and  his  recovery  by  the 
blood  of  atonement.     The  last  line  of  the  fourth  stanza, 

"  The  leprosy  lies  deep  within," 
is  a  figurative  allusion  to  the  description  of  the  leprosy 
in  Lev.  xiii.     And  the  fifth  and  sixth  stanzas, 


METHODIST    I1YMNOLOGY.  235 

•No  bleeding  bird, nor  bleeding  beast. 
Nor  hyssop  branch,  nor  sin-inkling  priest, 
Nor  running  brook,  nor  flood,  nor  sea, 
Can  wash  the  dismal  stain  away : 

"  Jesus,  my  Lord,  thy  blood  alone 
ILuh  power  sufficient  to  atone; 
Thy  blood  can  make  me  white  as  snow, — 
No  Jewish  types  could  cleanse  me  so ;" 

afford  a  fine  contrast  between  the  insufficiency  of  the 
type  and  the  .  •.i!ficiency  of  the  blood  it  typifies,  in  the 
purification  of  the  sinner.  The  fifth  stanza  is  founded 
on  Leviticus  xiv,  4-7.  "  Then  shall  the  priest  com- 
mand to  take  for  him  that  is  to  be  cleansed  two  birds 
alive  and  clean,  and  cedar-wood,  and  scarlet,  and  hys- 
sop. And  the  priest  shall  command  that  one  of  the 
birds  be  killed  in  an  earthen  vessel,  over  running  water. 
As  for  the  living  bird,  he  shall  take  it,  and  the  cedar- 
wood,  and  the  scarlet,  and  the  hyssop,  and  shall  dip 
them  and  the  living  bird  in  the  blood  of  the  bird  that 
was  killed  over  the  running  water.  And  he  shall 
sprinkle  it  upon  him  that  is  to  be  cleansed  from  the 
leprosy  seven  times,  and  shall  pronounce  him  clean." 

Hymn  20.  "  Sinners,  the  voice  of  God  regard." — Fawcett. 

"  Let  the  wicked  forsake  his  way,"  etc.  Isaiah  lv,  1. 
The  author  wrote  lines  first  and  third  of  verse  3 
thus, — 

"  Your  way  is  dark,  and  leads  to  Ml  :n 
"  Can  you  in  endless  torments  dwell ;" 


and  in  verse  4 


"  Why  will  you  in  the  crooked  ways 
Of  sin  and  folly  go  ?" 


236  METHODIST    HTMNOLOGY. 

One  verse,  the  last,  has  been  omitted  from  the 
Hymn-book.    It  is  as  follows  : — 

"  His  love  exceeds  your  highest  thoughts ; 
He  pardons  like  a  God ; 
He  will  forgive  your  num'rous  faults, 
Through  a  Redeemer's  blood." 

Hymn  21.  "  Thou  Son  of  God.  whose  flaming  eyes." — C.  Wesley. 

An  Evening  Hymn  for  a  Family.  The  third  line  of 
verse  4  originally  read, — 

"  And  fill  his  careless  heart  with  grief." 

Hymn  22.  "  Come,  0  thou  all-victorious  Lord." — C.  Wesley. 

"  Written  before  preaching  at  Portland,"  where  a 
large  portion  of  the  inhabitants  worked  hi  the  stone- 
quarries.  This  circumstance  probably  suggested  to  the 
mind  of  the  poet  the  Scriptural  ideas  expressed  in  the 
first  verse, — 

"  Strike  with  the  hammer  of  thy  word, 
And  break  these  hearts  of  stone." 

The  author  wrote  the  second  line  of  verse  6  thus, — 
"  And  make  us  feel  our  load." 

Hymn  23.  i:  Terrible  thought!  shall  I  alone." — C.  Wesley. 

"A  Thought  on  Hell,"  in  ten  quatrains.  Two  of 
the  rejected  stanzas  are  as  follow : — 

"  Dissolved  are  nature's  closest  ties, 
And  bosom-friends  forgot, 
When  God,  the  just  avenger,  cries, 
'  Depart,  I  know  you  not.' 

"  But  must  I  from  his  glorious  face, 
From  all  his  saints,  retire  ? 
But  must  I  go  to  my  own  place 
In  everlasting  fire  V 


MKTHODIST    11VMN0L0GY.  237 

The  peculiar  idea  contained  in  the  first  three  verses 

of  the  hymn,  and  partially  expressed  in  the  first, — 

"  Terrible  thought !  shall  I  alone, 

Who  may  be  saved,  shall  I, 

Of  all.  a/as  !  whom  I  have  known, 

Through  sin  for  ever  die  ?" 

is  found  in  the  third  book  of  the  "  Last  Day,"  by  Dr. 
Young  : — 

"  Thy  wretched  self  alone, 

Cast  on  the  left  of  all  whom  thou  hast  known ; 

How  would  it  wound  ?" 

Hymn  24.  "  Lamb  of  God,  for  sinners  slain."—  C.  Wesley. 

"Looking  unto  Jesus."  Two  double  stanzas,  the 
second  and  fourth  omitted.  The  word  "  is "  in  line 
five,  verse  3,  is  superfluous. 

Hymn  25.  ;c  0  Thou,  whom  once  they  floek'd  to  hear."—  C.  Wesley. 
"  Jesus  Christ,  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for 
ever."  Ten  verses.  The  author  wrote,  "  Shall  make 
me  rise,"  in  the  fourth,  and  "  Thy  saving  grace,"  in  the 
fifth  verse.  Neither  of  the  alterations  in  our  collection 
appears  in  the  English  Hymn-book. 

Hymn  26.  "My  suff 'rings  all  to  Thee  are  known." — C.  Wesley. 

Twenty  stanzas,  "  written  in  stress  of  temptation." 
Our  hymn  commences  with  the  eighth.  The  other 
omitted  stanzas  are  the  twelfth,  fifteenth,  and  twentieth. 
Some  of  the  rejected  verses  are  among  the  most  re- 
markable the  author  ever  wrote.  Take,  for  example, 
the  third,  fourth,  fifth,  and  sixth : — 

"  Saviour  of  men,  my  sad  complaint 
Let  me  into  thy  bosom  pour ; 
Beneath  my  load  of  sin  I  faint, 
And  boll  is  ready  to  devour. 


238  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

"A  devil  to  myself  I  am, 

Yet  cannot  'scape  the  flesh  I  tear, 

Beast,  fiend,  and  legion,  is  my  name, 

My  lot  the  blackness  of  despair. 

"  Why  then  in  this  unequal  strife, 

To  Tophet's  iitmost  margin  driven, 
Still  gasps  my  panting  soul  for  life, 

Nor  quite  gives  up  her  claim  to  heaven  ? 

"  Why  hopes  for  help  my  drooping  heart  ? 
Hope  against  hope — where  none  is  nigh  1 
I  cannot  from  my  Lord  depart, 
But  kiss  the  feet  at  which  I  die." 

Hymn  27.  "  How  sad  our  state  by  nature  is." — Watts. 

"  Faith  in  Christ  for  Pardon  and  Sanctification."  Six 
stanzas :  the  one  omitted,  the  fifth,  is  scarcely  less  re- 
markable than  those  by  C.  Wesley,  quoted  above : — 

"  Stretch  out  thine  arm,  victorious  King, 
My  reigning  sins  subdue  ; 
Drive  the  old  dragon  from  his  seat, 
With  all  his  hellish  crew.'' 

Dr.  Watts  wrote  "captive  minds"  in  the  first  stanza ; 
and  there  are  a  few  other  verbal  alterations  of  the 
hymn,  but  they  are  all  "  for  the  better." 

Hymn  28.  "Father  of  lights, from  whom  proceeds." — C.  Wesley. 

"A  Prayer  under  Convictions."  Eight  verses,  the 
last  three  of  which  are  omitted.  The  sixth  reads 
thus, — 

"  Father,  I  Avant  a  thankful  heart ; 
I  want  to  taste  how  good  thou  art, 
To  plunge  me  in  thy  mercy's  sea, 
And  comprehend  thy  love  to  me ; 
The  breadth,  and  length,  and  depth,  and  height, 
Of  love  divinely  infinite." 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  239 

It  may  be  proper  here  to  remark,  that  this  stanza,  as 
the  first  of  a  hymn  of  three  stanzas,  all  by  the  same 
author,  is  found  in  the  Rev.  A.  Toplady's  Collected 
Works,  page  914.    London,  1837. 

Hymn  29.  "  0  that  I  could  repent,  O  that  I  could  believe !" 

C.  Wesley. 
"  For  One  fallen  from  Grace."     Two  double  stanzas 
omitted.     The  author  wrote  the  second  line  of  verse  5, 
thus, — 

"  The  cursed  thing  remove." 

Hymn  30.  "Jesus,  let  thy  pitying  eye." — C.  Wesley. 

The  same  subject  as  the  preceding  hymn.     Twelve 

stanzas. 

Hymn  31.  ''Let  the  world  their  virtue  boast." — C.  Wesley. 

"  I  am  determined  to  know  nothing,  save  Jesus  Christ, 
and  him  crucified."  Nine  stanzas.  There  is  a  near 
association  of  the  first  four  lines  of  the  third  verse, 
with  Judges  vi,  39,  40  : — 

"  I,  like  Gideon's  fleece  am  found 
Umvater'd  still  and  dry, 
While  the  dew  on  all  around 
Falls  plenteous  from  the  sky." 

"  And  Gideon  said  imto  God,  Let  not  thine  anger 
be  hot  against  me,  and  I  will  speak  but  this  once.  Let 
me  prove,  I  pray  thee,  but  this  once  with  the  fleece  : 
let  it  now  be  dry  only  upon  the  fleece,  and  upon  all 
the  ground  let  there  be  dew.  And  God  did  so  that 
night :  for  it  was  dry  upon  the  fleece  only,  and  there 
was  dew  on  all  the  ground." 

Hymn  32.  "  With  glorious  clouds  encompass'd  round." 

C.  Wesley. 


240  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

A  hymn  "For  Love,"  in  the  poet's  most  impassioned 
strain  ;  although  the  thought  in  the  firs/t,  and  repeated 
in  the  last  stanza, 

"  "With  glorious  clouds  encompass'd  round, 
Whom  angels  dimly  see" 

and  perhaps  the  expression  belong  to  Milton  : — 

" who  sitt'st  above  these  heavens, 


To  us  invisible,  or  dimly  seen." 

Samuel  Wesley,  Jim.,  in  hymn  689,  has  the  follow- 
ing couplet : — 

"  In  light  unsearchable  enthroned, 
Whom  angels  dimly  see." 

Hymn  33.  "Jesus,  if  still  the  same  thou  art." — C.  Wesley. 

"  Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit :  for  theirs  is  the  king- 
dom of  heaven.  Blessed  are  they  that  mourn  :  for 
they  shall  be  comforted.  Blessed  are  the  meek :  for 
they  shall  inherit  the  earth.  Blessed  are  they  which 
do  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness  :  for  they  shall 
be  filled."  Matt,  v,  3-6. 

Hymn  34.  "  Wherewith,  0  Lord,  shall  I  draw  near  ?" — C.  Wesley. 

Thirteen  verses,  founded  on  Micah  vi,  6,  &c.  In  line 
first,  verse  3,  the  author  wrote,  "  Can  these  assuage  ;" 
and  in  the  second  line,  verse  5,  "Present  for  past,"  &c. 

Hymn  35.  Jesus,  lover  of  my  soul." — C.  Wesley. 

"  In  Temptation."  One  double  stanza,  the  third,  has 
been  omitted, — 

"  Wilt  thou  not  regard  my  call  ? 
Wilt  thou  not  regard  my  prayer  ? 
Lo  !  I  sink,  I  faint,  I  fall— 
Lo  !  on  Thee  I  cast  mv  care : 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  241 

Keach  me  out  thy  gracious  hand  ! 

While  I  of  thy  strength  receive, 
Hoping  against  hope  I  stand, 

Dying,  and  behold  I  live  !" 

This  beautiful  composition  has  been  erroneously 
claimed,  by  English  periodical  writers,  for  Miss  Steele, 
Mr.  Madan,  and  others.  See  Religious  Magazine,  vol. 
iv,  p.  57,  &c. 

Hymn  36.  "  OLove  divine,  how  sweet  thou  art !" — C.  Wesley. 

"  Desiring  to  Love."  Seven  stanzas  ;  the  fifth  and 
seventh  have  been  omitted  : — 

"  0  that  with  humble  Peter,  I 
Could  weep,  believe,  and  thrice  reply, 

My  faithfulness  to  prove, 
Thou  know'st — for  all  to  thee  is  known — 
Thou  know'st,  0  Lord,  and  thou  alone, 

Thou  know'st  that  thee  I  love. 

"  Thy  only  love  do  I  require, 
Nothing  in  earth  beneath  desire, 

Nothing  in  heaven  above ; 
Let  earth,  and  heaven,  and  all  things,  go, 
Give  me  thy  only  love  to  know, 
Give  me  thy  only  love." 

Hymn  37.  "  Ah !  whither  should  I  go  V'—C.  Wesley. 

"  God  will  have  all  men  to  be  saved."  1  Tim.  ii,  4. 
The  first,  second,  third,  and  seventeenth,  of  sixteen  dou- 
ble verses  ;  the  last  three  of  which  constitute  hymn  114. 

Hymn  38.  "  Father  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  Just." — C.  Wesley. 

A  "  Redemption  Hymn,"  of  five  stanzas  ;  the  last  two 
have  been  omitted.     We  insert  the  fourth : — 
>  11 


242  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

"  Thee  without  faith  I  cannot  please, 
Faith  without  thee  I  cannot  have  ; 
But  thou  hast  sent  the  Prince  of  peace 

To  seek  my  wand 'ring  soul,  and  save : 
O  Father,  glorify  thy  son, 
And  save  me  for  his  sake  alone." 

Hymn  39.  "  Come,  Holy,  Celestial  Dove." — C.  Wesley. 

A  "  Hymn  for  Whitsunday."  «  Thy  blood,"  for  "  the 
blood,"  has  been  substituted  in  the  last  line  of  the  first 
verse. 

Hymn  40.  "  Stay,  thou  insulted  Spirit,  stay." — C  Wesley. 

A  "Penitential  Hymn,"  in  which  there  is  an  allusion 
to  the  age  of  the  author,  either  at  the  time  of  composing 
the  hymn,  or  the  period  of  his  penitential  sorrow  for 
sin,  in  the  second  verse, — 

"  Though  I  have  steel'd  my  stubborn  heart, 
And  still  shook  oif  my  guilty  fears; 
And  vex'd,  and  urged  Thee  to  depart, 
~Eox  forty  long  rebellious  years." 

The  sixth  stanza  has  not  been  transferred  to  the 
Hymn-book : — 

"  If  yet  thou  canst  my  sins  forgive, 
E'en  now,  0  Lord,  relieve  my  woes, 
Into  thy  rest  of  love  receive, 
And  bless  me  with  the  calm  repose." 

Hymn  41.  "To  the  haven  of  thy  breast." — C.  Wesley. 

"And  a  man  shall  be  as  a  hiding-place  from  the 
wind,  and  a  covert  from  the  tempest :  as  rivers  of  wa- 
ter in  a  dry  place,  as  the  shadow  of  a  great  rock  in  a 
weary  land."  Isaiah  xxxii,  2,     Six  stanzas. 


METHODIST    1IVMNOLOGY.  243 

Hymn  42.  "  O  that  I  could  my  Lord  receive." — C.  Wesley. 

A  "  Hymn  for  Love,"  of  four  double  stanzas ;  the  se- 
cond omitted  from  the  Hymn-book  : — 

''  Jesus,  thou  all-atoning  Lamb, 

How  shall  I  plead  with  thee  ? 
If  graven  on  thy  hands  I  am, 

For  good  remember  me : 
If  still  thou  dost  my  tokens  bear, 

Thy  love  to  me  reveal, 
And,  list'ning  to  a  sinner's  prayer, 

My  present  pardon  seal." 

Hymn  43.  i:  Drooping  soul,  shake  off  thy  fears." — C.  Wesley. 

"  Waiting  for  the  Promise."     Six  double  stanzas. 
Hymn*  44.  "  Why  should  the  children  of  a  King." — Watts. 

"  The  Witnessing  and  Sealing  Spirit."  Rom.  viii,  14- 
16;  Eph.  i,  13,  14. 

Hymn  45.  "  My  drowsy  powers,  why  sleep  ye  so  ?" — Watts. 

"  Complaining  of  Spiritual  Sloth."  The  author  wrote 
the  first  couplet  of  the  second  stanza  thus, — 

"  Tlie  little  ants  for  one  poor  grain, 
Labor,  and  tug,  and  strive." 

And  the  first  of  the  sixth, — 

"  Then  shall  our  active  spirits  move, 
Upward  our  souls  shall  rise." 

Hymn  46.  "  God  is  in  this  and  everyplace." — C.  Wesley. 

"  For  One  convinced  of  Unbelief."  Sixteen  stanzas, 
the  last  six  of  which  constitute  the  hymn  as  it  stands 
in  our  collection.  In  the  former  part  of  the  hymn,  the 
author  represents  a  person  "convinced  of  unbelief" 
speaking  to  or  expressing  himself  in  the  following  lan- 
guage :— 


244  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

"  And  have  I  measured  lialfmy  days. 
And  Jialf  my  journey  run, 
Nor  tasted  the  Redeemer's  grace, 
Nor  yet  my  work  begun  ? 

"  The  morning  of  my  life  is  past, 
The  noon  is  almost  o'er, 
The  night  of  death  approaches  fast, 
When  I  can  work  no  more." 

It  is  a  coincidence  worthy  of  notice  in  this  connection, 
that  when  Mr.  Charles  Wesley  composed  this  hymn  he 
was  about  forty  years  old — he  died  aged  eighty — hence 
he  had  just,  in  his  own  beautiful  language, 

"  measured  half  his  days, 

And  half  his  journey  run." 

The  next  three  are  so  much  in  keeping  with  the 
above  stanzas,  and  withal  so  excellent,  that  they  must 
be  inserted  here  : — 

"  O  what  a  length  of  wretched  years 
Have  I  lived  out  in  vain  ! 
How  fruitless  all  my  toils  and  tears  ! 
I  am  not  born  again. 

"  Evil  and  sad  my  days  have  been, 
And  all  a  painful  void, 
For  still  I  am  not  saved  from  sin ; 
For  still  I  know  not  God. 

"  Darkness  he  makes  his  secret  place, 
Thick  clouds  surround  his  throne ; 
Nor  can  I  yet  behold  his  face, 
Or  find  the  God  unknown." 

Hymn  47.  "  Thou  hidden  God,  for  whom  I  groan."—  C.  Wesley. 

A  "  Redemption  Hymn."  The  author  wrote  the  last 
line  of  verse  2  thus, — 

"  Thy  Deity  of  love  f 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  245 

and  that  next  to  the  last  one  in  the  hymn, — 

''  One  grain  of  living  faith  impart." 

Hymn  48.  "  Thou  Man  of  griefs,  remember  me." — C.  Wesley. 

This  is  founded  on  Heb.  v,  7,  8.  Five  double  verses ; 
the  second  and  fifth  omitted. 

Hymn  49.  "  Lord  Jesus,  when,  when  shall  it  be." 

The  title  of  this  hymn  is,  "  Inconstancy ;"  its  author- 
ship, from  internal  evidence,  is  deemed  doubtful,  al- 
though it  appears  in  one  of  John  and  Charles  Wesley's 
publications,  as  early  as  1*748.  It  is  not  in  the  English 
Wesleyan  Hymn-book. 

Hymn  50.  "  O  God  to  whom  in  flesh  reveal'd." 
Hymn  51.  "  Jesus,  thy  far-extended  fame." — C.  Wesley. 

"Jesus  Christ,  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for 
ever."  Both  these  hymns  are  founded  upon  the  same 
passage  of  Scripture.  The  former  appears  in  our  col- 
lection entire ;  the  latter  lacking  four  stanzas.  Mr. 
Wesley  wrote  the  first  line  of  verse  5  thus, — 

"  Though  seventeen  hundred  years  are  past ;" 

and  so  it  remains  in  the  English  collection. 

Hymn  52.  "  Saviour,  Prince  of  Israel's  race." — C.  Wesley. 

A  "Penitential  Hymn,"  comprising  eleven  stanzas. 
In  our  book  there  is  a  verbal  alteration,  as  well  as  an 
error  in  punctuation,  in  the  first  verse.  It  should 
read, — 

"  Saviour,  Prince  of  Israel's  race, 
See  me  from  thy  lofty  throne ; 
dive  the  sweet  relenting  grace, 
Soften  this  obdurate  stone." 


246  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  53.  "  O  for  that  tenderness  of  heart." — C.  Wesley. 

"  Because  thy  heart  was  tender,  and  thou  hast  hum- 
bled thyself  before  the  Lord,"  &c.  2  Kings  xxii,  19,  20. 

Hymn  54.  "  O  that  I  could  repent." 

Hymn  55.  "  O  that  I  could  revere." — C.  Wesley. 

"  For  One  fallen  from  Grace."  Four  double  verses : 
last  four  quartrains  omitted  from  the  former,  and  two, 
the  second  and  third,  from  the  latter,  hymn.  The 
striking  figure  in  verse  2,  of  hymn  55, 

"  Show  me  the  naked  sword, 
Impending  o'er  my  head," 

is  taken  from  the  story  of  Damocles,  as  related  by 
Cicero.  "  Damocles  was  one  of  the  flatterers  of 
Dionysius,  the  monarch  of  Sicily,  who  died  368  years 
before  the  Christian  era.  He  admired  the  wealth  and 
grandeur  of  that  sovereign,  and  pronounced  him  the 
happiest  man  on  earth.  Dionysius,  wishing  to  correct 
his  views,  prevailed  on  him  to  undertake  for  a  time  the 
charge  and  the  duties  of  royalty.  Damocles  consented ; 
and  having  ascended  the  throne,  he  gazed  with  delight 
on  the  splendor  and  luxury  by  which  he  was  surround- 
ed. But  he  soon  perceived  a  sword,  suspended  by  a 
horse-hair,  directly  over  his  head.  This  spoiled  all  his 
enjoyment :  and  he  speedily  begged  permission  to  re- 
linquish so  dangerous  a  situation." — Burgess. 

The  Rev.   Joseph  Stennett,   in  his   paraphrase   on 
Prov.  xiv,  9,  employs  the  same  figure, — 

"  Who  laughs  at  sin,  laughs  at  his  Maker's  frowns, 
Laughs  at  the  sword  of  vengeance,  o'er  his  head"  &c. 

Hymn  56. — "  Enslaved  to  sense,  to  pleasure  prone." — C.  Wesley. 
To  be  used  as  a  "  Grace  before  Meat." 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  24*7 

Hymn  57.  "  Wretched,  helpless,  and  distress'd." — C.  Wesley. 

"  Wretched,  and  miserable,  and  poor,  and  blind,  and 
naked."  Rcv.'m,  17.  Eight  stanzas;  the  second  omit- 
ted.    The  author  wrote  the  third  line  of  verse  7  thus, — 

"  Put  on  me  my  glorious  dress." 

So  it  is  in  the  English  book.  In  the  new  Hymn-book  of 
the  Methodist  E.  Church,  South,  it  reads,  "  this  glori- 
ous dress." 

Hymn  58.  "  Father  of  Jesus  Christ,  my  Lord." — C.  Wesley. 
The  title  of  this  is,  "  Before  Private  Prayer." 

Hymn  59.  "  When  my  relief  will  most  display." — C.  Wesley. 

The  two  stanzas  composing  this  hymn  are  from  dif- 
ferent sources.  The  first  stanza  is  the  last,  and  the  last 
is  the  first,  of  two  hymns  "  For  One  convinced  of  Un- 
belief." The  third  line  of  verse  2  was  written  by  the 
author  thus, — 

"  Nor  let  me  in  the  ivinter  fly." 

Hymn  60.  "  Jesus,  in  whom  the  weary  find." — C.  Wesley. 

The  last  part  of  a  poem,  in  five  parts,  entitled, 
"  Upon  parting  with  his  Friends." 

Hymn  61.  "Author  of  faith,  to  thee  I  cry."—  C.  Wesley. 
"For  One  convinced  of  Unbelief." 

Hymn  62.  "  And  wilt  Thou  yet  be  found  ?"—  C.  Wesley. 

"  The  Resignation,"  a  poem  of  twenty-two  quatrains ; 
those  composing  our  hymn  are  the  first,  second,  third, 
fourth,  sixth,  and  eighth.  Hymn  67  is  part  of  the 
same  poem,  which  concludes  thus, — 


248  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

"  Snatch  mc  from  ill  to  come, 
When  I  from  thee  would  fly ; 
O  take  my  wand'ring  spirit  home, 
And  grant  me  then  to  die." 

The  following  couplet,  verse  4,  perhaps  needs  some 
explanation : — 

"  'Tis  worse  than  death  my  God  to  love, 
And  not  my  God  alone." 

This,  remarks  Dr.  Summers,  "is  the  language  of  a 
backslider — one  who  has  experienced  the  love  of  God 
in  his  heart,  but  who  has  permitted  the  love  of  the 
world  to  supplant  the  divine  affection.  He  has  been 
trying  to  serve  God  and  mammon,  and  the  experiment 
has  not  proved  successful.  His  heart  is  a  battle- 
ground, where  antagonistic  principles  and  feelings  are 
contending  for  the  mastery.  A  woeful  state !  If  the 
process  of  conversion,  in  general,  be  likened  unto  death, 
even  the  painful  death  of  crucifixion — a  dying  unto  sin — 
the  returning  prodigal,  whose  case  we  have  described, 
will  not  find  the  language  of  the  poet,  in  the  fourth 
stanza,  ambiguous,  extravagant,  nor  inappropriate. 
This  hymn,  of  course,  should  never  be  used  only 
by  a  backslider,  or  for  his  benefit.  And  yet  we  have 
heard  an  assembly  of  Christian  ministers  sing  for  them- 
selves a  backslider's  hymn,  in  which  there  is  a  confes- 
sion of  an  'aching  void,'  and  the  absence  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  who  has  been  grieved  and  driven  away  by- 
sin." 

Hymn  63.  "  Jesus,  if  still  thou  art  the  same." — C.  Wesley. 

"  These  things  were  written  for  our  instruction." — 
Rom.  xv,  4.     One  verse  omitted. 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  249 

Hymn  64.  "  Let  the  redeemed  give  thanks  and  praise." 

C.  Wesley. 

From  "  Occasional  Hymns,"  in  "  Hymns  for  Fami- 
lies."    Five  double  stanzas  ;  the  last  two  omitted. 
Hymn  65.  "  Lord,  I  despair  myself  to  heal." — C.  Wesley. 

"  Waiting  for  Redemption."  Six  verses ;  the  first 
two  rejected. 

Hymn  66.  "Jesus,  the  sinner's  Friend,  to  thee." — C.  Wesley. 

"The  Scripture  hath  concluded  all  under  sin,  that 
the  promise  by  faith  of  Jesus  Christ  might  be  given 
to  them  that  believe."  Gal.  iii,  22.  Thirteen  verses : 
3,  4,  7,  8,  9,  11,  and  13,  omitted.  The  poet  wrote  the 
last  line  of  verse  2, — 

"And  cursed  I  am  till  thou  art  mine." 
The  strong  language  used  in  the  third  verse, 
"Trend  down  thy  foes,  with  power  control 
The  beast  and  devil  in  my  soul," 

the  Wesleys  and  Whitefield  learned  from  Bishop  Hall 
and  William  Law.* 

Hymn  67.  t;  "When  shall  thy  love  constrain." — C.  Wesley. 

See  hymn  62,  page  247. 

*  "A  merry-andrew  (from  a  neighboring  fair)  finding  that  no 
common  acts  of  buffoonery  were  of  any  avail,  got  into  a  tree, 
near  the  pulpit,  and  as  much,  perhaps,  in  despite  as  in  insult, 
exposed  his  hare  posteriors  to  the  preacher,  in  the  sight  of  all  the 
people.  The  more  hrutal  mob  applauded  him  with  loud  laugh- 
ter,  while  decent  persons  were  abashed  ;  and  Whitefield  himself 
was  foramomenl  confounded;  but,  instantly  recovering  himself, 
hi'  appealed  to  all  since  now  they  had  such  a  spectacle  before 
them,  whether  he  had  wronged  human  nature  in  saying,  with 
Bishop  Hall,  that  ::  man,  when  left  to  himself,  is  half  a  Jiend  and 
half  a  brute?  or,  in  calling  him,  with  William  Law,  a  motley 
mixture  of  the  beast  and  devil  ?" — Houtlmjs  Life  of  Wesley,  vol.  ii 
p   192. 

11* 


250  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  68.  "  0  that  thou  wouldst  the  heavens  rent." —  C.  Wesley. 
"A  Prayer  against  the   Power  of    Sin."     A  most 
sublime  poem.     The  last  two  lines  of  the  third  verse, 

"  Thou  only  canst  drive  back  the  tide, 
And  bid  the  sun  stand  still," 

refer  to  Joshua  x,  12,  13  :  "Then  spake  Joshua  to  the 
Lord,  in  the  day  when  the  Lord  delivered  up  the  Amo- 
rites  before  the  children  of  Israel,  and  he  said  in  the  sight 
of  Israel,  Sun,  stand  thou  still  upon  Gibeon ;  and  thou 
Moon,  in  the  Valley  of  Ajalon.  And  the  sun  stood  still, 
and  the  moon  staid,  until  the  people  had  avenged  them- 
selves upon  their  enemies So  the  sun  stood  still 

in  the  midst  of  heaven,  and  hasted  not  to  go  down 
about  a  whole  day." 

Hymn  69.  "  Thee,  Jesus,  thee,  the  sinner's  Friend." 

Hymn  70.  "  Still,  Lord,  I  languish  for  thy  grace." — C.  Wesley. 

The  title  of  these  two  hymns  is,  "  Desiring  to  Love." 
The  former  is  in  two  parts,  and  contains  nineteen  stan- 
zas, the  last  five  of  which  make  hymn  331.  From 
hymn  70,  two  stanzas,  the  second  and  fourth,  have  been 
omitted. 

Hymn  71.  "  God  of  my  life,  what  just  return?" — C.  Wesley. 

Written  "  after  a  recovery  from  sickness."  Mr. 
Jackson  says  of  this  hymn,  which,  as  written  by  the 
author,  has  seventeen  stanzas, — it  is  "  not  only  a  fine 
specimen  of  his  poetic  genius,  unimpaired  by  disease, 
but  also  a  striking  description  the  of  state  of  his  heart. 
A  part  of  this  hymn  is  well-known ;  but  even  that  part 
will  be  read  with  superior  interest  when  viewed  in  con- 
nection with  the  impressive  circumstances  which  called 
it    forth."     Some    of  the  stanzas   excluded   from  the 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGV.  251 

Hymn-book  are  of  too  sublime  a  nature  not  to  be  in- 
serted here.     The  hymn  thus  opens  : — 

"  And  live  I  yet  by  power  divine  ? 
And  have  I  yet  my  course  to  run  ! 
Again  brought  back,  in  its  decline, 
The  shadow  of  my  setting  sun  ? 

"  Wond'ring,  I  ask, '  Is  this  the  breast, 
Struggling  so  late  and  torn  with  pain  ? 
The  eyes  that  upward  look'd  for  rest, 
And  dropp'd  their  weary  lids  again?' 

"  The  recent  horrors  still  appear : 
0  may  they  never  cease  to  awe  ! 
Still  be  the  king  of  terrors  near, 
Whom  late  in  all  his  pomp  I  saw. 

'•  Torture  and  sin  prepared  the  way, 
And  pointed  to  a  yawning  tomb  ; 
Darkness  behind  eclipsed  the  day, 

And  check'd  my  forward  hopes  of  home. 

"  My  feeble  flesh  refused  to  bear 
Its  strong  redoubled  agonies  : 
When  Mercy  heard  my  speechless  prayer, 
And  saw  me  faintly  gasp  for  ease. 

"  Jesus  to  my  dcliv'ranee  flew, 

Where  sunk  in  mortal  pangs  I  lay : 
Pale  Death  his  ancient  conqu'ror  knew, 
And  trembled,  and  ungrasp'd  his  prey  ! 

"  The  fever  turn'd  its  backward  course, 
Arrested  by  Almighty  power ; 
Sudden  expired  its  fiery  force, 
And  anguish  gnaw'd  my  side  no  more." 

The  last  couplet  of  the  first  of  these  stanzas, 

"Again  brOHght  back,  in  its  decline. 
The  shadow  of  my  setting  sun,'* 


252  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

alludes  beautifully  to  the  restoration  of  King  Hezekiah 
from  his  sickness,  which  had  been  declared  by  the  pro- 
phet Isaiah  to  be  unto  death.  The  prophet  directed 
him  to  set  his  house  in  order,  saying,  "  For  thou  shalt 
die,  and  not  live."  Hearing  this,  the  king  turned  his 
face  to  the  wall,  and  prayed  and  wept.  His  prayer 
was  heard,  and  the  prophet  was  commanded  to  go  to 
him  again,  and  tell  him  that  he  should  be  healed ; 
that  on  the  third  day  he  should  go  up  to  the  house  of 
the  Lord  ;  and  that  fifteen  years  should  be  added  to 
his  life.  "  And  Hezekiah  said  unto  Isaiah,  What  shall 
be  the  sign  that  the  Lord  will  heal  me,  and  that  I  shall 
go  up  into  the  house  of  the  Lord  the  third  day  ?  And 
Isaiah  said,  This  sign  shalt  thou  have  of  the  Lord,  that 
the  Lord  will  do  the  thing  that  he  hath  spoken  :  shall 
the  shadow  go  forward  ten  degrees,  or  go  back  ten 
degrees  ?  And  Hezekiah  answered,  It  is  a  light  thing 
for  the  shadow  to  go  down  ten  degrees ;  nay,  but  let 
the  shadow  return  backward  ten  degrees.  And  Isaiah 
the  prophet  cried  unto  the  Lord :  and  he  brought  the 
shadow  ten  degrees  backward,  by  which  it  had  gone 
down  in  the  dial  of  Ahaz."  2  Kings  xx,  1-11. 

The  sign  was  thus  mysteriously  displayed  by  which 
Hezekiah  was  to  know  that  the  "  shadow  of  his  setting 
sun  "  was  to  be  brought  back  from  its  decline.  And 
the  poet  having  recovered  from  a  severe  attack  of  ill- 
ness, which  he  did  not  expect  to  survive,  felt  the 
thankfulness  that  possessed  the  soul  of  Israel's  favored 
king,  and  rejoiced  in  the  use  of  a  figurative  application 
of  the  event  to  his  own  case. 

These  stanzas,  in  sublimity  of  thought,  and  strength 
of  expression,  surpass  Addison's  beautiful  hymn,  writ- 


METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY.  253 

ten  under  similar  circumstances,  commencing, 
"  When  rising  from  the  bed  of  death,"  &c. 

See  hymn  75. 
Hymn  72.  "  Fain  would  I  go  to  thee,  my  God." — C.  Wesley. 

"  In  Desertion  or  Temptation."  Nine  double  stanzas ; 
the  third  of  which  makes  verses  1  and  2,  and  the  sixth, 
3  and  4,  of  our  hymn.  The  word  "spouse,"  in  the 
third  verse,  is,  by  many,  deemed  objectionable. 

Hymn  73.  "  My  God,  my  God,  I  cry  to  thee." — C.  Wesley. 

"  After  a  Relapse  into  Sin."  Twelve  verses ;  the  fourth 
and  fifth  are  omitted.  The  author  originally  wrote  the 
first  verse  thus, — 

"  My  God,  my  God,  on  thee  I  call, 
Thee  only  would  I  know  : 
One  drop  of  blood  on  me  let  fall, 
And  wash  me  white  as  snow." 

The  last  six  stanzas  constitute  hymn  97. 

Hymn  74.  '■  My  soul  before  Thee  prostrate  lies." — J.  Wesley. 

A  translation  from  the  German,  entitled,  "  Hoping  for 
Grace,"  comprising  eleven  stanzas. 

Hymn  75.  "  When  rising  from  the  bed  of  death." — Addison. 

Composed  during  sickness.  "  Among  all  the  reflec- 
tions which  usually  arise  in  the  mind  of  a  sick  man, 
who  has  time  and  inclination  to  consider  his  approach- 
ing end,  there  is  none  more  natural  than  that  of  his 
going  to  appear  naked  and  unbodied  before  Him  who 
made  him." — The  Spectator,  No.  513.  There  are  se- 
veral verbal   alterations  iti  the  Hymn-book  ;  but  none 


254  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

which  affect  the  sense,  unless  those  which  appear  in  the 
fourth  stanza  be  so  considered : — 

"  But  thou  hast  told  the  troubled  mind, 
Who  does  her  sins  lament, 
The  timely  tribute  of  her  tears 
Shall  endless  woe  prevent." 

The  exclamation  in  the  last  line  of  the  first  verse, 
"  0  how  shall  I  appear !" 

and  repeated  in  the  third  verse,  manifests  an  intensity 
of  religious  feeling  and  purpose,  which  is  rarely  found 
in  the  writings  of  any  hymnologist,  except  it  be  in  the 
hymns  of  Charles  Wesley. 

Hymn  76.  "  0  for  a  glance  of  heavenly  day." — Hart. 

"  The  Stony  Heart,"  The  author  wrote  the  last  line 
of  the  hymn  thus, — 

"  And  move  and  melt  this  heart  of  mine." 

Hymn  77.  "  Come,  0  thou  Traveler  unknown." — C.  Wesley. 

The  title  of  this  celebrated  hymn  is  given  in  the 
Hymn-book,  "Wrestling  Jacob.'"  It  is  founded  upon 
the  transactions  recorded  in  Gen.  xxxii,  24-29.  As  ori- 
ginally written,  it  is  not  divided  into  parts,  and  contains 
fourteen  stanzas  ;  the  fifth  and  seventh  of  which,  being 
omitted  from  the  Hymn-book,  are  here  inserted : — 

"  'Tis  all  in  vain  to  hold  thy  tongue, 
Or  touch  the  hollow  of  my  thigh  : 
Though  every  sinew  be  unstrung, 

Out  of  my  arms  thou  shalt  not  fly ; 
Wrestling,  I  will  not  let  thee  go, 
Till  I  thy  name,  thy  nature,  know. 

"  My  strength  is  gone,  my  nature  dies, 
I  sink  beneath  thy  weighty  hand  ; 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  255 

Faint,  to  revive — and  fall,  to  rise  ; 
I  fall,  and  yet  by  faith  I  stand  ; 
I  stand,  and  wilt  not  let  thee  go, 
Till  I  thy  name,  thy  nature,  know." 

Gen.  xxxii,  24-26  :  "And  Jacob  was  left  alone  ;  and 
there  wrestled  with  him  a  man  until  the  breaking  of 
the  day.  And  when  he  saw  that  he  prevailed  not 
against  him,  he  touched  the  hollow  of  his  thigh :  and 
the  hollow  of  Jacob's  thigh  was  out  of  joint,  as  he 
wrestled  with  him.  And  he  said,  Let  me  go,  for  the 
day  breaketh  ?  And  he  said,  I  will  not  let  thee  go, 
except  thou  bless  me." 

James  Montgomery  says  this  poem  may  be  ranked 
among  Charles  Wesley's  highest  achievements,  "  in 
which,  witli  consummate  art,  he  has  carried  on  the 
action  of  a  lyrical  drama :  every  turn  in  the  conflict 
with  the  mysterious  Being  against  whom  he  wrestles 
all  night  being  marked  with  precision  by  the  varying 
language  of  the  speaker,  accompanied  by  intense,  in- 
creasing interest,  till  the  rapturous  moment  of  discovery, 
when  he  prevails,  and  exclaims,  '  I  know  thee,  Saviour, 
who  thou  art.'  " — Christian  Psalmist. 

Hymn  78.  "  0  Thou,  whom  fain  my  soul  would  love." — C.  Wesley. 

An  amplification  of  the  words  of  Thomas,  "  My  Lord, 
and  my  God."  John  xx,  28.  The  last  stanza  is  not  in 
the  Hymn-book  : — 

"  I  know  Him  by  those  prints  of  love, 
His  bleeding  wounds  are  open  wide ; 

Through  faith  I  handle  him.  and  prove  ; 
I  thrust  my  hand  into  his  side, 

I  feel  the  sprinkling  of  his  blood  : 
Jesus,  thou  art  my  Lord,  my  God  !" 


256  METHODIST    HYMXOLOGY. 

Hymn  79.  "  Long  have  I  sccm'd  to  serve  thee,  Lord." — C.  Wesley. 

This  hymn — of  which  81  also  is  a  part — entitled, 
"  The  Means  of  Grace,"  containing  twenty-three  stan- 
zas, was  written  in  the  year  1740,  in  the  midst  of  dis- 
putes which  rent  some  of  Mr.  Wesley's  societies,  about 
the  doctrine  of  stillness,  introduced  by  one  Molther,  a 
Moravian,  who  "  expressly  denied  that  grace,  or  the 
Spirit,  is  transmitted  through  the  means,  particularly 
through  the  sacrament."  This  fine  hymn,  says  Mr. 
Jackson,  "guards  against  extremes,  both  on  the  right 
hand  and  on  the  left ;  and  embodies  those  just  views  on 
the  subject  which  the  brothers  steadily  maintained  to 
the  end  of  their  lives.  Charles  Wesley  used  to  call 
upon  the  right-minded  people  in  his  congregations  at 
the  foundery,  to  unite  with  him  in  singing  it ;  and  it  is 
difficult  to  conceive  how  any  enlightened  Christian 
could  refuse  to  join  in  the  holy  exercise.  Its  effect,  at 
the  time  must  have  been  very  powerful." — Life  of  C. 
Wesley,  p.  190. 

Hymn  80.  "My  gracious,  loving  Lord." — C.  Wesley. 

This  hymn,  including  both  parts,  is  the  first  half  of  a 
long  poem,  entitled,  "  The  Backslider,"  commencing, 
"  Ah  !  my  dear,  loving  Lord." 

The  author  wrote  the  first  two  lines  of  verse  2,  part 
first,  thus, — 

"  Yet  now,  Thou  know'st,  I  fear, 
I  fear,  to  ask  thy  gi-ace." 

John  Wesley  altered  them  in  the  English  Hymn-book 
so  as  to  read, — 

"  Yet,  Lord,  well  might  I  fear, 
Fear  even  to  ask  thv  grace." 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  267 

Verse  1,  second  part,  should  read  thus  : — 
"  A  goodly,  formal  saint,"  &c. 

Hymn  81.  "  Still,  for  thy  loving  kindness,  Lord."—  C.  Wesley. 

See  what  is  said  above  on  hymn  79  ;  that  will  ex- 
plain the  line, 

"  Or  at  thy  table  meet," 

which  seems  to  give  this  the  character  of  a  sacramental 
hymn,  which  would  be  rather  out  of  place  under  the 
head,  "  Describing  Formal  Religion." 

Hymn  82.  "  Weary  of  wand'ring  from  my  God." — C.  Wesley. 

"  After  a  Recovery."  The  third  line  of  verse  4  was 
originally  written, — 

"  Drop  thy  ivarm  blood  upon  my  heart." 
The  last  line  of  verse  5, 

"  The  iron  sinew  in  my  neck," 
occurs  also  in  hymn  99,  which  see. 
Hymn  83.  "Jesus,  Friend  of  sinners,  hear." — C.  Wesley. 

"  A  Prayer  for  Restoring  Grace."  One  stanza,  the 
third,  is  omitted  : — 

"  Though  my  sins  as  mountains  rise, 

And  swell,  and  reach  to  heaven, 
Mercy  is  above  the  skies, 

I  may  be  still  forgiven  ; 
Infinite  my  sins  increase, 

But  greater  is  thy  mercy's  store  : 
Love  me  freely,  seal  my  peace, 

And  bid  me  sin  no  more." 

Hymn  84.  "  Son  of  God,  if  thy  free  grace." 

Hymn  85.  "Lord,  and  is  thine  anger  gone  ?" — C.  Wesley. 

The  original  title  of  these  two  hymns  is  simply, 
"  After  a  Recovery."  From  the  former  one  stanza,  and 
from  the  latter,  three  stanzas,  have  been  omitted. 


258  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  86.  "  How  happy  are  they." 

Hymn  87.  "  How  shall  a  lost  sinner  in  pain." — C.  Wesley. 

These  are  found  under  the  head,  "  Hymns  for  One 
fallen  from  Grace."  Alluding  to  the  first  part  of  hymn 
86,  Mr.  Jackson  remarks  :  "  Never  did  he,"  C.  Wesley, 
"  forget  the  bright  and  joyous  days,  and  months,  and 
years,  which  followed  his  espousal  to  Christ ;  and  every 
remembrance  of  them  was  refreshing  to  his  heart.  The 
most  perfect  picture  of  his  feelings  and  character  at  this 
period  is  that  which  was  drawTn  many  years  afterward  by 
his  own  inimitable  hand.  It  was  not  under  the  mere  in- 
fluence of  a  lively  and  poetic  imagination,  but  of  deep 
and  holy  feeling,  that  he  thus  sung, — 

1  How  happy  are  they  who  the  Saviour  obey,' "  &c. 

Hymn  88.  "  O  that  I  were  as  heretofore." — C.  Wesley. 

This  hymn  is  composed  of  the  first  five,  and  tenth, 
stanzas  of  a  poem,  entitled,  "  A  Prayer  for  Restoring 
Grace,"  containing  eighteen  stanzas.  The  ninth,  which 
has  a  natural  connection  with  the  tenth,  stanza  of  the 
original,  is  as  follows  : — 

"  Through  the  wide  world  of  sin  and  woe, 
A  banish'd  man,  I  roam  ; 
But  cannot  find  my  rest  below. 
But  cannot  wander  home." 

The  last  fine  of  the  hymn  in  the  Hymn-book  should 

read, — 

"  My  Eden,  how  regain  1 " 

Hymn  89.  "  O  for  a  closer  walk  with  God." —  Cowper. 
"  Walking  with  God."   Gen.  v,  24. 

Hymn  90.  "  Show  pity,  Lord,  0  Lord  forgive." —  Watts. 
"  A  Penitent  pleading  for  Pardon."  Psalm  li,  1-4. 


METHODIST    BYMNOLOGY.  '250 

Hymn  91.  'Ah!  Lord,  with  trembling  I  confess."—  C.  Wesley. 

"  If  the  salt  have  lost  its  savor,  wherewith  shall  it 
be  salted?"  Matt.v,  13. 

Hymn  92.  "Depth  of  mercy!  can  there  be."—  C.  Wesley. 

"  After  a  Relapse  into  Sin."  Thirteen  stanzas  :  some 
of  those  which  have  been  omitted  from  the  Hymn-book 
are  very  fine  :  instance,  the  sixth  and  twelfth  : — 

"Jesus  speaks,  and  pleads  his  blood  ; 
lie  disarms  the  wrath  of  God ! 
Now  my  Father's  bowels  move ; 
Justice  lingers  into  love." 

"  Pity  from  thine  eye  let  fall ; 
By  a  look  my  soul  recall ; 
Now  the  stone  to  flesh  convert, 
Cast  a  look,  and  break  my  heart." 

This  verse  is  an  allusion  to  the  look  which  the  Lord 
cast  upon  Peter  after  he  had  denied  him,  and  which 
reminded  him  so  forcibly  of  his  apostasy,  that  he  went 
out  and  wept  bitterly.  There  are  a  number  of  allusions 
to  the  same  event  in  various  hymns  in  different  parts 
of  the  Hymn-book.  They  are  so  plainly  apparent,  that 
the  reader  can  readily  recognize  them. 

"  The  single  expression,"  in  verse  3, 
"  Lets  the  lifted  thunder  drop," 
"  is  worth  whole  reams  of  prosing  amplification  on  the 
impending  inflictions  of  divine  vengeance.  Poetically 
considered,  it  is  indicative  of  the  very  highest  mood  of 
inspiration,  in  which  all  the  glowing  images  of  the  mind 
are  fused,  condensed,  concentrated  ;  resolved,  as  it  were, 
into  their  primary  and  abstract  essence,  and  set  apart 
from  everything  of  adventitious  or  unnecessary  mix- 
ture."—  Wesleyan  Methodist  Magazine,  1831,  p.  G80. 


260  METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGT. 

Hymn  93.  "I  will  hearken  what  the  Lord." — C.  Wesley. 

"  Waiting  for  Christ,  the  Prophet."  The  last  verse 
omitted. 

Hymn  94.  "  Saviour,  I  now  with  shame  confess." — C.  Wesley. 

"  For  the  iniquity  of  his  covetousness  was  I  wroth, 
and  smote  him,"  <fcc.  Isaiah  lvii,  17-19. 

Hymn  95.  "  0  'tis  enough,  my  God,  my  God." — C.  Wesley. 

This  is  composed  of  verses  1,  3,  and  5,  of  a  hymn 
"  On  God's  Everlasting  Love,"  containing  eleven  stan- 
zas. Hymn  101  is  the  last  part  of  the  same  com- 
position. 

Hymn  96.  "  Jesus.  I  believe  thee  near." — C.  Wesley. 

"  For  One  fallen  from  Grace."  Six  verses  ;  the  third 
and  fourth  omitted.  In  the  second  line,  verse  1,  the 
author  wrote,  "fallen  soul." 

Hymn  97.  "O  why  did  I  my  Saviour  leave?" — C.  Wesley. 
The  last  half  of  hymn  73,  as  originally  written. 

Hymn  98.  "  O  Jesus,  full  of  grace." —  C.  Wesley. 

"  On  God's  Everlasting  Love."  Six  quatrains  omitted. 

Hymn  99.  "0  God,  thy  righteousness  we  own." — C.  Wesley. 

"  For  One  fallen  from  Grace."  The  first  couplet  of 
verse  2  is  rendered  touchingly  pathetic  by  the  repe- 
tition of  the  prayer  for  "  mercy :" — 

"  Our  mouth  as  in  the  dust  we  lay, 
And  still  for  mercy,  mercy,  pray." 

The  deep  feeling  of  contrition  expressed  in  the  fol- 
lowing lines  of  verse  4,  though  not  less  pathetic,  is 
more  striking : — 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  261 

"  Yet  do  not  drive  us  from  thy  face, 
A  stiff-neck'd  and  hard-hearted  race ; 
But,  O  !  in  tender  mercy  break 
The  iron  sineiv  in  our  neck" 

We  have  the  same  idea  as  that  expressed  in  the  last 
couplet  in  the  fifth  verse  of  hymn  82. 

Hhmn  100.  "  Father,  if  thou  must  reprove." — C.  Wesley. 

The  first  stanza  is  founded  on  Jer.  x,  24,  and  the 
second  and  third  on  Jer.  xxiv,  7. 

Hymn  101.  "0  God,  if  thou  art  love  indeed."—  C.  Wesley. 
Last  part  of  hymn  95. 

Hymn  102.  "  Yes,  from  this  instant,  now,  I  will." — C.  Wesley. 

Jer.  iii,  4,  5.  The  author  originally  wrote  the  fourth 
stanza  thus, — 

"  If  thou  hast  wiltd  me  to  return, 
If  weeping  at  thy  feet  I  fall, 
The  prodigal  in  justice  spurn, 
Or  pity  and  forgive  me  all." 

Hymn  103.  "  Shepherd  of  souls,  with  pitying  eye." — C.  Wesley. 

"  For  the  Outcasts  of  Israel."  The  last  line  origin- 
ally read, — 

"  And  ivhisper  all  their  sins  forgiven." 

Hymn  104.  "Jesus,  my  Advocate  above." — C.  Wesley. 

"  Try  me,  0  God,  and  seek  the  ground  of  my  heart."* 

*  Charles  Wesley  quotes  here,  as  he  does  in  some  other  places, 
from  the  version  of  the  Psalms  in  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer. 
He  also  sometimes  prefers  his  brother's  translation  of  the  New 
Testament  text  to  that  of  the  authorized  version. 


262  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Psalm  cxxxix,  23.  Five  stanzas;  the  fourth  omitted 
from  the  Hymn-book.  The  first  line,  as  originally  writ- 
ten, read, — 

t:  Jesus,  my  great  High  Priest  above." 

Hymn  105.  "  Spirit  of  faith,  come  down." — C.  Wesley. 

From  "  Hymns  for  Whitsunday."  One  stanza,  the 
third,  excluded. 

Hymn  106.  "Maker,  Saviour  of  mankind."—  C.  Wesley. 
From  "Hymns  for  Children." 

Hymn  107.  "  God  of  my  salvation,  hear." — C.  Wesley. 

"  After  a  Relapse  into  Sin."  Eight  stanzas ;  the  third, 
fifth,  and  seventh,  omitted  from  the  Hymn-book. 

Hymn  108.  "  God  of  all  grace  and  majesty." — C.  Wesley. 

"  For  the  Fear  of  God."  Five  verses  ;  third  and  fourth 
omitted.  In  the  third  line  of  the  first  verse,  the  author 
wrote, — 

"  If  I  have  favor  found  with  thee." 

Hymn  109.  "  My  God,  my  life,  my  love."—  Watts. 
"  God,  all,  and  in  all."  Psalm  lxxiii,  25. 

Hymn  110.  "I  thirst,  thou  wounded  Lamb  of  God."— J".  Wesley. 

A  translation  from  the  German,  full  of  experimental 
piety  and  sound  doctrine.  The  second  verse  has  often 
expressed  the  gushing  feelings  of  a  devoted  follower  of 
the  Saviour : — 

"  Take  my  poor  heart,  and  let  it  be 
For  ever  closed  to  all  but  Thee  ! 
Seal  thou  my  breast,  and  let  me  wear 
That  pledge  of  Ioyc  for  ever  there." 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  263 

Hymn  111.  "Jesus,  thou  all-redeeming  Lord." — C.  Wesley. 

"  Before  preaching  to  the  Colliers  in  Leicestershire." 
The  original  has  eighteen  verses.  Hymn  10  is  extracted 
from  tins  poem.  The  rejected  stanzas  are  most  re- 
markable both  for  sentiment  and  expression ;  and  if 
they  are  intended  to  describe  the  character  of  the  Lei- 
cestershire colliers,  then  might  the  pious  author  well 
exclaim, — 

"  0  that  to  these  poor  Gentiles  now 
The  door  were  open'd  wide ; 
O  that  their  stiff-neck'd  souls  might  how 
To  Jesus  crucified !" 

But  depraved  as  they  were,  he  offers  them,  without 
exception,  the  blessings  of  the  gospel : — 

"  Ye  liars,  and  blasphemers  too, 
Who  speak  the  phrase  of  hell; 
Ye  murd'rers  all,  He  died  for  you, 
He  loved  your  souls  so  well. 

"  Ye  monsters  of  unnatural  vice 
Too  horrible  to  name, 
To  ransom  you  he  paid  the  price, 
To  pluck  you  from  the  flame. 

"  Vilest  of  all  th'  apostate  race, 
Who  dare  your  God  deny, 
Arians,  your  God  did  in  your  place, 
In  yours,  ye  deists,  die. 

"  Haters  of  God,  your  madness  mourn, 
And  God  will  yet  forgive 
To  Jesus,  Friend  of  sinners,  turn, 
Who  died  that  you  might  live." 

In  verses  6,  7,  8,  of  those  retained  in  the  Hymn- 
book,  Mr.  Burgess  observes,  "  The  poet  makes  a  beau- 
tiful and  ingenious  use  of  the  feet,  the  hands,  and  the 


264  METHODIST    HYMXOLOGY. 

side,  of  the  Redeemer ;  and  concludes  with  a  bold  and 
striking  prosopopoeia,  in  which  his  wounds  are  represent- 
ed as  conscious  and  intelligent  beings,  and  being  invested 
with  the  power  of  speech,  they  cry,  '  I  suffered  this  for 
you !'  Shakspeare  has  a  fine  passage,  in  which,  refer- 
ring to  the  wounds  and  death  of  Julius  Caesar,  he  puts 
these  words  into  the  mouth  of  Antony, — 

'  I  tell  you  that  which  you  yourselves  do  know ; 
Show  you  sweet  Caesar's  wounds  ;  poor,  poor,  dumb  mouths, 
And  bid  them  speak  for  me ;  but  were  I  Brutus, 
And  Brutus  Antony,  there  were  an  Antony 
Would  ruffle  up  your  spirits,  and  put  a  tongue 
In  every  wound  of  Ceesar  that  should  move 
The  stones  of  Rome  to  rise  and  mutiny.' 

This  is  striking  and  grand,  solemn  and  truly  poetical. 
But  the  prototype  of  this  figure,  in  which  wounds  and 
blood  are  personified,  is  in  Holy  Scripture.  It  is  found 
in  God's  address  to  the  murderer,  Cain —  The  voice  of  thy 
brother's  blood  crieth  unto  me  from  the  ground  ;  and  in 
the  glowing  language  of  the  great  apostle,  who,  refer- 
ring to  the  blood  of  sprinkling,  tells  us  that  it  spedketh 
better  things  than  that  of  Abel.  The  language  of  our 
poet  is  only  an  expansion  of  the  apostle's  sentiment : 
the  blood  and  the  wounds  of  Christ  are  still  speaking 
for  sinners ;  through  them  the  Saviour  himself  is  speak- 
ing, and  saying,  *  I  suffered  this  for  you.'  " 

Hymn  112.  "  Come,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost."—  C.  Wesley. 
Numbers  vi,  24-26. 

Hymn  113.  "  0  almighty  God  of  love."—  C.  Wesley. 

On  "Going  into  a  Place  of  Danger."     First  two 
stanzas  omitted. 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGT.  265 

Hymn  114.  "  Lo,  in  thy  hand  I  lay."—  C.  Wesley. 

The  last  three  stanzas  of  hymn  37,  as  originally 
written. 

Hymn  115.  "  Great  God,  indulge  my  humble  claim." — Watts. 

11  Longing  after  God  ;  or,  the  Love  of  God  better  than 
Life."  Psalm  lxiii.  Eight  stanzas  ;  the  fourth,  fifth,  and 
seventh,  omitted  from  the  Hymn-book. 

Hymn  116.  "0  Thou,  to  whose  all-searching  sight." — J.  Wesley. 

A  translation  from  the  German,  entitled,  "  The  Be- 
liever's Support." 

Hymn  117.  "  Come,  Lord,  from  above." — C.  Wesley. 

From  "  Hymns  for  those  that  seek,  and  those  that 
have,  Redemption  in  the  Blood  of  Jesus  Christ." 

Hymn  118.  "Being  of  beings,  God  of  love." — C.  Wesley. 
The  title  of  this  hymn  is,  "  Grace  after  Meat." 


Hymn  119.  "Jesus,  my  Lord,  attend. — C. 

The  first  of  the  "  Redemption  Hymns."  The  second 
double  stanza  omitted.  The  author  wrote,  "fallen 
creature's  cry,"  in  the  second  line,  verse  1. 

Hymn  120.  "  0  Sun  of  righteousness,  arise." — J.  Wesley. 
"A  Prayer  for  the  Light  of  Life." 

Hymn  121.  "  Son  of  God,  thy  blessing  grant." — C.  Wesley. 
On  the  Lord's  Supper. 

Hymn  122.  "  Lord,  we  come  before  thee  now." — Hammond. 

"A  Hymn  to  be  sung  at  Public  Worship,"  containing 
12 


266  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

eight  double  stanzas :  as  it  stands  in  our  collection,  it  is 
excerpted  from  the  first,  second,  fourth,  and  sixth. 

Hymn  123.  "Jesus,  from  whom  all  blessings  flow." — C.  Wesley. 
The  second  part,  with  omissions,  of  a  poem  in  two 
parts,  entitled,  "Primitive  Christianity ;"  first  publish- 
ed by  Mr.  John  Wesley,  at  the  end  of  his  "  Earnest 
Appeal  to  Men  of  Reason  and  Religion,"  in  the  year 
1744.  See  Wesley's  Works,  vol.  v,  p.  33.  Also,  C. 
Wesley's  "Hymns  and  Sacred  Poems,"  1749,  vol.  ii, 
p.  333.  This  was  a  favorite  hymn  with  Mr.  Fletcher. 
"  After  dinner  he  often  sung  several  verses  of  Primitive 
Christianity  ;  particularly  that, — 

:  O  that  my  Lord  would  count  me  meet 
To  wash  his  dear  disciples'  feet !' 

Sometimes  he  read  many  of  these  verses  with  tears 
streaming  down  his  face." — Benson's  Life  of  Fletcher. 

Among  the  omitted  verses  is  that  so  often  quoted  as 
the  production  of  another, — 

"  Ye  dhT'rent  sects,  who  all  declare, 
'  Lo,  here  is  Christ !'  or,  '  Christ  is  there ! ' 
Your  stronger  proofs  divinely  give, 
And  show  me  where  the  Christians  live." 

Hymn  124.  "  My  hope,  my  all,  my  Saviour,  thou." 

We  have  not  been  able  to  discover  the  authorship  of 
this  hymn.  It  is  found  in  the  first  Hymn-book  pub- 
lished by  Bishops  Coke  and  Asbury. 

Hymn  125.  "Jesus,  the  all-restoring  Word."—  C.  Wesley. 

"  A  Morning  Hymn,"  of  six  stanzas ;  the  last  verse 
omitted. 


METHODIST    IIYMKOLOGY.  26*7 

Hymn  126.  "  When,  gracious  Lord,  when  shall  it  be." 
Hymn  127.  "  Whom  man  forsakes  Thou  wilt  not  leave." 

C.  Wesley. 

These  two  hymns  are  portions  of  a  poem  of  thirteen 
verses,  wTith  the  brief  title,  "  Come,  Lord  Jesus !" 
The  second  stanza,  hymn  126, 

"  A  poor  blind  child  I  wander  here, 
If  haply  I  may  feel  Thee  near  : 
0  dark  !  dark  !  dark !  I  still  must  say, 
Amidst  the  blaze  of  gospel  day," 

is  an  imitation  of  Milton  in  Samson  Agonistes,  where 
he  puts  the  following  language  in  the  mouth  of 
Samson : — 

"  But  chief  of  all, 

O  loss  of  sight,  of  thee  I  most  complain  ! 

Blind  among  enemies.         =*         *         * 

0  dark  !  dark !  dark  !  amid  the  blaze  of  noon, 

Irrecoverably  dark,  total  eclipse, 

"Without  all  hope  of  day !" 

The  author  wrote  the  last  line  of  the  same  hymn  thus — 
"  My  soul  shall  on  thy  bosom  fall." 

Hvmn  128.  "  Jesus,  Redeemer  of  mankind." — C.  Wesley. 

"  For  Times  of  Trouble  and  Persecution."  Twelve 
quatrains  :  the  first  four  omitted. 

Hvmn  129.  "  Come,  Holy  Spirit,  heavenly  Dove." — Watts. 

"  Breathing  after  the  Holy  Spirit ;  or,  Fervency  of 
Devotion  desired."  Dr.  Watts  wrote  the  second  stanza 
thus, — 

"  Look  how  we  grovel  here  below, 
Fond  of  these  trifling  toys  ; 
Our  souls  can  neither  fly  nor  go 
To  reach  eternal  joys." 


268  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  130.  t:  All  glory  to  the  dying  Lamb." — Watts. 

This  has  well  been  termed  an  "  eclectic  affair,"  being 
manufactured  out  of  four  different  hymns,  and  every 
stanza  altered.  Collate  hymns  29,  1,  9,  second  book, 
and  143,  first  book,  Dr.  Watts. 

Hymn  131.  "  Father.  I  stretch  my  hands  to  thee." — C.  Wesley. 
"  A  Prayer  for  Faith." 

Hymn  132.  "  O  may  thy  powerful  word.1' — C.  Wesley. 

"  The  kingdom  of  heaven  suftereth  violence,  and  the 
violent  take  it  by  force."  Matt,  xi,  12. 

Hymn  133.  "  0  wond'rous  power  of  faithful  prayer." — C.  Wesley. 
A  "  Redemption  Hymn,"  comprising  eight  stanzas  ; 
the  fifth,  sixth,  and  seventh,  omitted,  the  last  of  which 
is  as  follows  : — 

"  He  cries,  and  weeps,  and  groans,  and  bleeds, 
As  for  our  sins  this  moment  slain  ; 
The  blood  of  sprinkling  speaks,  and  pleads, 

And  lo  !  we  share  his  mortal  pain  ! 
Our  cries  are  mingled  with  his  cries ; 
Our  tears  gush  out  at  Jesus'  eyes." 

The  allusion  in  the  third  line  is  to  "  the  blood  of 
sprinkling,  which  speaketh  better  things  than  that  of 
Abel."  Heb.  xii,  24. 


Hymn  134.  "  0  God,  most  merciful  and  true."—  C. 

A  dilatation  of  Ezek.  xvi,  62,  63.    The  author  wrote 
the  last  line  of  verse  1, — 

"  And  ivrite  perfection  on  my  heart." 

This  hymn  has  been  referred  to  as  one  of  a  "  class  of 
hymns "  to  be  found  in  our  Hymn-book,  "  containing 


METHODIST    II  Y MNoLOGY.  269 

everything  that  is  contained  in  communion  with  God, 
whether  of  prayer  or  praise.  Here  there  is  the  same 
absence  of  figure  as  in  the  first  instance; — (hymn 
176) — but  how  shall  we  express  otherwise  than  in  the 
language  of  the  hymn  itself  the  seraphic  solemnity,  the 
spirit  of  prayer,  which  are  evinced  at  the  beginning  and 
at  the  close  ?  that  prostration  of  the  soul  before  the 
Infinite  Three-in-One,  which  none  but  the  saved  sinner 
can  feel,  and  which  seems  to  imitate  that  of  the  angels 
in  heaven  ?  We  shall  be  allowed  to  quote  the  conclud- 
ing verses  : — 

'  O'crwhelm'd  with  thy  stupendous  grace, 

I  shall  not  in  thy  presence  move ; 
But  breathe  unutterable  praise, 

And  rapt'rous  awe,  and  silent  love. 

'  Then  every  murm'ring  thought,  and  vain, 
Expires,  in  sweet  confusion  lost : 
I  cannot  of  my  cross  complain, 
I  cannot  of  my  goodness  boast. 

'  Pardon'd  for  all  that  I  have  done, 
My  mouth  as  in  the  dust  I  hide  ; 
And  glory  give  to  God  alone, 
My  God  for  ever  pacified  ! ' 

"  It  is  only  the  Spirit  in  the  first,  and  those  conse- 
crated by  him  in  the  second,  place,  who  can  search  into 
the  deep  things  of  God." — Wesley  an  Methodist  Maga- 
zine, 1839,  p.  382. 

Hymn  1.35.  "  Why  not  now,  my  God,  my  God  ?"—  C.  Wesley. 

"  0  when  wilt  thou  come  unto  me!"  Psalm  ci,  2.  The 
first  line  of  the  second  stanza,  in  the  original,  reads, — 

"  At  the  close  of  life's  short  day  ;" 
and  in  the  Wesleyan  Hymn-book  thus, — 
"  God  of  love,  in  this  my  day." 


270  METHODIST   HYMN0L0GY. 

Hymn  136.  "  Fountain  of  life,  to  all  below." 

Hymn  137.  "  0  Thou,  whom  all  thy  saints  adore." — C.  Wesley. 

The  title  of  these  two  excellent  hymns  is,  "Enter- 
ing into  the  Congregation." 

Hymn  138.  "  Say,  which  of  you  would  see  the  Lord?" 

C.  Wesley. 
A  paraphrase  of  Rev.  i,  10-18. 

Hymn  139.  "  In  boundless  mercy,  gracious  Lord,  appear." 

This  hymn  is  found  in  the  old  "  Pocket  Hymn-book," 
published  by  Bishops  Coke  and  Asbury.  We  have  not 
been  able  to  trace  its  authorship. 

Hymn  140.  "  Lord,  all  I  am  is  known  to  thee." — Watts. 

First  five  stanzas  of  the  first  part  of  the  author's 
second  paraphrase  of  the  one  hundred  and  thirty-ninth 
Psalm,  entitled,  "  God  is  everywhere."  Watts  wrote 
the  first  two  lines  thus, — 

"  In  all  my  vast  concerns  ivith.  thee, 
In  vain  my  soul  would  try." 

Hymn  141.  "  O  Thou,  who  earnest  from  above." — C.  Wesley. 

"  The  fire  shall  ever  be  burning  upon  the  altar ;  it 
shall  never  go  out."  Lev.  vi,  13.  The  Rev.  John  Wes- 
ley "told  me,"  says  the  Rev.  S.  Bradburn,  in  his  Sketch 
of  Mr.  Wesley's  Character,  "  when  with  him  in  York- 
shire, in  the  year  1*781,  that  his  experience  might  almost 
at  any  time  be  found  in  the  following  lines  : — 

'  0  Thou,  who  earnest  from  above, 
The  pure  celestial  fire  t' impart, 
Kindle  a  flame  of  sacred  love 
On  the  mean  altar  of  my  heart ! 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  2V 1 

There  let  it  for  thy  glory  burn 

"With  inextinguishable  blaze, 
And,  trembling,  to  its  source  return, 

In  humble  love  and  fervent  praise.' " 

Hymn  142.  "  Let  God,  who  comforts  the  distress'd."—  C.  Wesley. 

The  first  of  "  Hymns  of  Intercession  for  all  Mankind." 
The  word  "soul,"  in  the  last  line  of  verse  2,  should  be 
"  souls." 

Hymn  143.  "  Father,  behold  with  gracious  eyes." — C.  Wesley. 
To  be  used  "  At  the  Hour  of  Retirement." 

Hymn  144.  "  Jehovah,  God  the  Father,  bless."—  C.  Wesley. 

"The  Lord  bless  thee  and  keep  thee,"  &c.  JVum. 
vi,  24-26.  Last  two  quatrains  omitted.  The  third  line 
of  verse  4  should  read,  "  And  lift  us  up,"  &c. 

Hymn  145.  "Jesus,  thou  sovereign  Lord  of  all." — C.  Wesley. 

The  first  two,  and  last  three,  of  ten  stanzas,  entitled, 
"Desiring  to  pray."  How  consonant  are  the  senti- 
ments expressed  in  the  following  lines  with  the  heart- 
felt experience  of  every  true  penitent : — 

"  Proceeds  from  Thee  the  wish  to  pray, 
The  longing  wisli  which  now  we  feel ; 

But  O  (we  know  not  what  to  say) 
We  would,  but  cannot,  Lord,  reveal 

The  load  our  fainting  spirits  bear, 

Or  tell  thee  all  our  wants  in  prayer." 

Hymn  146.  :t  Jesus,  thou  hast  bid  us  pray." — C.  Wesley. 

"Avenge  me  of  mine  adversary."  Luke  xviii,  3. 
Two  stanzas  omitted. 


272  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  147.  "  Jesus,  I  fain  would  find." — C. 

This  hymn  is  an  expansion  of  the  words,  "Be  zealous." 
Rev.  iii,  19. 

Hymn  148.  li  Saviour,  on  me  the  want  bestow." — C.  Wesley. 
A  paraphrase  of  Matt,  v,  3,  5-8,  10,  11. 

Hymn  149.  "Thee,  Jesus,  full  of  truth  and  grace." — C.  Wesley. 

"  The  Trial  of  Faith."     The  doctrine  of  a  particular 

providence   which   breathes    throughout   C.    Wesley's 

poetry,  and  is  so  forcibly  expressed  in  the  second  stanza, 

"  We  now  thy  guardian  presence  own, 
And  walkunburnt  injire" 

has  its  counterpart,  if  not  original,  in  that  beautiful 
composition  of  Addison,  known  as  "The  Traveler's 
Hymn  :"— 

"  In  foreign  realms  and  lands  remote, 
Supported  by  thy  care, 
Through  burning  climes  I  pass 'd  unhurt, 
And  breathed  in  tainted  air." 

Hymn  150.  "  O  let  the  pris'ner's  mournful  cries." — C.  Wesley. 

"A   Hymn    of    Intercession,"    containing    eighteen 
stanzas  ;  the  first  five,  and  last  four,  omitted. 

Hymn  151.  "  Our  earth  we  now  lament  to  see." — C.  Wesley. 

"  For  Peace."     From  "  Hymns  of  Intercession  for 
all  Mankind." 

Hymn  152.  "  Author  of  faith,  we  seek  thy  face." — C.  Wesley. 

A  "  Hymn  of  Intercession :"  three  stanzas,  the  sixth, 
eighth,  and  ninth,  omitted  :  the  sixth  runs  thus, — 


METHODIST    11YMNOLOGY.  2*73 

"  The  dreaming,  visionary  fiend, 

rninask.  and  drag  to  open  light, 
And  let  his  wild  illusions  end, 
And  chase  him  to  eternal  night." 

The  poet  wrote  the  last  line  of  verse  5, — 

';  O  save  them  from  the  plague  of  pride." 

Hymn  153.  "  I  want  a  principle  within." — C.  Wesley. 

"  For    a    Tender     Conscience."      Four    quatrains 
omitted. 

Hymn  154.  "  The  praying  spirit  breathe." — C.  Wesley. 

"  In  a  Hurry  of  Business."     The  first  double  stanza 
has  not  been  inserted  in  the  Hymn-book  : — 

"  Help,  Lord  !  the  busy  foe 

Is  as  a  flood  come  in  ! 
Lift  up  a  standard,  and  o'er  throw 

This  soul-distracting  sin ; 
This  sudden  tide  of  care 

Stem  by  that  bloody  tree, 
Nor  let  the  rising  torrent  bear 

My  soul  away  from  thee." 

The  fourth  line  of  verse  1  was  written  by  the  author, — 
"  Call  off  my  anxious  heart." 

Hymn  155.  ':  Shepherd  divine,  our  want  relieve." — C.  Wesley. 
To  be  repeated  when  "Desiring  to  pray." 

Hymn  156.  "Jesus,  my  strength,  my  hope." — C.  Wesley. 

••  A  Poor  Sinner."    The  last  double  stanza  omitted. 

Hymn  157.  "  Help,  Lord,  to  whom  for  help  I  fly." — C.  Wesley. 

To  be  used  as  a  prayer  "  In  Temptation." 
12* 


2*74  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  158.  "  Jesus,  my  Saviour,  Brother,  Friend." — C.  Wesley. 

The  first  seven  of  fifteen  stanzas,  entitled,  "  Watch 
in  all  Things."  The  next  four  stanzas  constitute  hymn 
163,  and  the  rest  are  rejected  from  the  Hymn-book. 

Hymn  159.  "  A  charge  to  keep  I  have." — C.  Wesley. 

"  Keep  the  charge  of  the  Lord,  that  ye  die  not." 
Lev.  viii,  35. 

Hymn  160.  "  Be  it  my  only  wisdom  here." — C.  Wesley. 

"  Behold  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  that  is  wisdom,  and 
to  depart  from  evil  is  understanding."  Job  xxviii,  28. 

Hymn  161.  "  How  vain  are  all  things  here  below." — Watts. 

"  Love  to  the  Creatures  is  Dangerous."  Tradition, 
with  which  the  reader  will  perceive  we  have  had  little 
to  do  in  the  preparation  of  this  work,  has  added  to  the 
interest  of  this  beautiful  hymn,  which,  under  any  cir- 
cumstances, is  interesting  for  its  truthfulness,  elegantly 
expressed.  But  when  it  is  known  that  the  little,  ner- 
vous, and  unprepossessing  person,  Watts,  offered  his 
hand  and  heart  to  the  elegant  and  accomplished  Miss 
Singer,  afterward  Mrs.  Rowe,  and  being  told  by  that 
lady  that  though  she  loved  the  jewel,  she  could  not 
admire  the  casket  that  held  it,  he  turned  away  grieved 
and  disappointed,  and  going  to  his  study,  called  his 
piety  and  genius  into  exercise  to  write  this  hymn,  we 
admire  that  genius,  and  especially  that  piety,  more  than 
we  ever  did  before. 

Dr.  Southey  has  intimated  that  Mr.  John  Wesley 
probably  wrote  hymn  304  under  circumstances  of  a 
somewhat  similar  nature. 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOCiY.  275 

Hymn  162.  "God  of  almighty  love."— C.  Wesley. 

"An  Hourly"  Act  of  Oblation."  The  author  wrote 
the  first  line  of  verse  3,  "  Spirit  of  grace,  inspire  ;"  and 
the  latter  part  of  the  verse  thus, — 

"  My  feeble  mind  transform, 
And  perfectly  renew'd, 
Into  a  saint  exalt  a  worm  ; 
A  worm  into  a  god  /" 

The  sentiment  of  the  last  line,  at  first  view,  appa- 
rently so  bold  and  presumptuous,  contains  the  same 
idea,  epitomized,  expressed  in  the  following  eloquent 
passage  from  the  first  book  of  Young's  Night 
Thoughts  :— 

"  How  poor,  how  rich,  how  abject,  how  august, 
How  complicate,  how  wonderful,  is  man ! 
How  passing  wonder  He  who  made  him  such  ! 
Who  centred  in  our  make  such  strange  extremes, 
From  different  natures  marvelously  mix'd, 
Connection  exquisite  of  distant  worlds  ! 
Distinguished  link  in  being's  endless  chain  ! 
Midway  from  nothing  to  the  Deity  ! 
A  beam  ethereal. sullied  and  absorpt ! 
Though  sullied  and  dishonor'd,  still  divine  ! 
Dim  miniature  of  greatness  absolute! 
An  heir  of  glory,  a  frail  heir  of  dust ! 
Helpless  immortal,  insect  infinite ! 
A  worm  !  a  god .'" 

And  Young  himself  doubtless  was  indebted  for  the 
drift  of  thoughts  in  the  above  extract  to  the  following 
sentiments  of  the  Saviour : — "  Jesus  answered  them, 
Is  it  not  written  in  your  law,  I  said,  Ye  are  gods." 
John  x,  34.  See  also  Gen.  i,  26 ;  iii,  5. 


276  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Mr.  Fletcher,  in  his  work  entitled,  "  American 
Patriotism,"  says:  "Should  not  British  legislators 
show  themselves  gods,  by  imitating  the  God  of  gods, 

'  Who  conquers  all,  beneath,  above, 
Devils  with  force,  and  men  with  love  V  " 

"Do  not  reject,  0  ye  gods,  his   humble  address  for 
your  American  colonies." — Works,  vol.  iv,  pp.  546-7. 

Hymn  163.  "  Pierce,  fill  me  with  an  humble  fear." — C.  Wesley. 

Part  of  hymn  158. 

Hymn  164.  "  Oft  have  we  pass'd  the  guilty  night." — C.  Wesley. 

"A  Midnight  Hymn."  This  and  hymn  173  are 
probably  the  first  two  hymns  that  were  composed  by 
Mr.  C.  Wesley  for  watchnight  services,  and  were  first 
published  in  1742,  that  being  the  same  year  in  which 
Mr.  John  Wesley  introduced  these  meetings  among 
the  Methodists,  or  rather  sanctioned  them,  for  they  had 
already  been  held  weekly  for  some  time  by  the  con- 
verted colliers  of  Kings  wood,  among  whom  they 
originated.  Dr.  Southey,  who  terms  the  watchnight 
"  another  of  Wesley's  objectionable  institutions,"  him- 
self tells  us,  that  the  "reclaimed"  colliers  "having 
been  accustomed  to  sit  late  on  Saturday  nights  at 
the  alehouse,  transferred  their  weekly  meetings, 
after  their  conversion,  to  the  school-house,  and  con- 
tinued there  praying  and  singing  hymns  far  into  the 
morning." 

Hymn  165.  "  Thy  presence,  Lord,  the  place  shall  fill." 

C.  Wesley. 

Part  of  hymn  498.     See  page  400. 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  277 

Hymn-  166.  "Gracious  Redeemer,  shake.'' 

Hymn  167.  "  Thou  secst  my  feebleness." — C.  Wesley. 

These  are  parts  of  a  "  Hymn  for  the  Watchnight," 
consisting  of  ten  double  stanzas  ;  the  first  four  and  ninth 
of  which  have  been  omitted  from  the  Hymn-book.  The 
last  line  of  verse  5,  hymn  166,  originally  read, — 

"  The  witness  let  me  hear ;" 
and  the  last  two  lines  of  hymn  161, — 

"  Thou,  Jesus,  having  loved  thine  own, 
Shalt  love  me  to  the  end." 

Hymn  168.  t:  Bid  me  of  men  beware." 

Hymn  169.  t:  Give  me  a  sober  mind." — C.  Wesley. 

These  two  are  also  watchnight  hymns,  and  are  parts 
of  the  same  poem.    The  first  double  stanza,  commencing, 

"  Jesus,  bestow  the  power," 
in  which  occur  the  lines, 

"  Cheerful  to  undergo 
Whole  nights  of  sweet  distress," 

has  been  omitted  from  our  collection.     The  last  part 
of  verse  3,  hymn  1G8,  was  written  by  the  author, — 

"  Against  the  wiles  of  Satan  arm 
In  panoply  divine." 

Hymn  170.  "0  Thou,  who  all  things  canst  control." — J.  Wesley. 
"  Spiritual  Slumber  ;"  translated  from  the  German. 

Hymn  171.  <;  Come,  yc  followers  of  the  Lord." — C.  Wesley. 

"  Men  ought  always  to  pray  and  not  to  faint."  Luke 
xviii,  1.     One  stanza  omitted. 

Hymn  172.  "  To  the  hills  I  lift  mine  eyes."—  C.  Wesley. 

A  paraphrase  of  Psalm  cxxi ;  one  stanza,  the  fifth, 
omitted, — 


278  METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY. 

"  Thee  in  evil's  scorching  day 
The  sun  shall  never  smite  ; 

Thee  the  moon's  malignant  ray- 
Shall  never  blast  by  night : 

Safe  from  known  or  secret  foes, 
Free  from  sin  and  Satan's  thrall, 

God,  when  flesh,  earth,  hell,  oppose, 
Shall  keep  thee  safe  from  all." 

HT3IN  173.  "  Hearken  to  the  solemn  voice." — C.  Wesley. 

"  A  Midnight  Hymn."     The  fourth  stanza  rejected. 
See  remarks  on  hymn  164. 

Hymn  1 74.  "  Prayer  is  appointed  to  convey." — Hart. 

"  Pray  without  ceasing."  1  Thess.  v,  17.     The  author 
wrote  the  last  line  of  verse  1, — 

"  For  only  while  they  pray  they  live ;" 
and  the  last  line  of  verse  2, — 

"  The  remedy 's  before  thee — pray." 
Two    stanzas    of   the  original,  the  second  and  third, 
have  not  been  inserted  in  the  Hymn-book, — 

"  The  Christian's  heart  his  prayer  indites  ; 
He  speaks  as  prompted  from  within, 
The  Spirit  his  petition  writes, 
And  Christ  receives  and  gives  it  in. 

"And wilt  thou  in  dead  silence  be, 

When  Christ  stands  waiting  for  thy  prayer  ? 
My  soul,  thou  hast  a  Friend  on  high ; 
Arise,  and  try  thy  int'rest  there." 

Hymn  175.  "  Thou,  Lord,  hast  bless'd  my  going  out." — C.Wesley. 
To  be  used  "  After  a  Journey." 

Hymn  176.  "Author  of  faith,  eternal  Word."—  C.  Wesley. 

This  sublime  hymn  comprises  the  first  six  stanzas  of 
a  paraphrase  and  amplification  of  the  eleventh  chapter 


METHODIST    I1YMNOLOGY.  279 

of  St.  Paul's  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  entitled,  "  The 
Life  of   Faith  exemplified."      It  contains  eighty-eight 

stanzas.  Hymn  592  is  part  of  the  same  composition. 
Among  C.  Wesley's  "imperishable  works,"  says  a  late 
writer,  there  is  a  hymn  (176)  which  illustrates  the  posi- 
tion, "  that  a  thorough  acquaintance  with  divine  truth 
belongs  only  to  sanctified  men."  This  is,  in  fact,  the 
position  of  the  apostle,  that  "  he  who  has  an  unction 
from  the  Holy  One  knows  all  things."  "  In  this  noble 
hymn,  notwithstanding  the  euphonic  flow  of  the  verse, 
every  syllable  is  employed  in  eliciting  revealed  truth, 
and  that  in  language  the  most  expressive  and  terse. 
An  ordinary  hymn,  of  equal  length,  would  not  contain 
a  fifth  part  of  the  fine  and  solemn  thought  which  is  ex- 
pressed in  its  verses.  There  are  no  words  spent  on 
needless  imagery  ;  and  the  only  metaphors  in  the  whole 
are,  that  of  '  fire,'  expressive  of  active  faith,  and  that 
of  '  darkness,'  or  '  shadows,'  expressive  of  its  oppo- 
site, unbelief ;  and  though  the  hymn  is,  undoubtedly,  a 
profound  and  searching  exposition  of  Heb.  xi,  1,  yet 
every  line  glows  with  an  adoration  so  humble,  a  desire  so 
fervent,  and  a  sensibility  so  vital,  that  it  is  hard  to  say, 
whether  the  oracular  teaching,  the  adoration,  the  desire, 
or  the  sensibility,  has  the  superior  place.  It  is  evident 
there  is  another  Spirit  here  besides  the  spirit  of  poetry, 
and  that  the  author  must  have  lived  in  that  realizing 
faith  which  is  the  subject  of  his  song ;  and  that  in  the 
Christian  system,  he  knew  'all  things;'  otherwise  we 
should  not  have  had  such  a  strain  of  consecutive  evan- 
gelical doctrine;  and  the  thoughts  and  emotions  within 
him  would  not  have  fallen  into  a  mode  of  expression  so 
natural,  and  yet,  without  labor,  so  compressed." — Wcs. 
Meth.  Mar/.,  1839,  p.  381. 


280  METHODIST    HYMKOLOGY. 

Hymn  177.  (v  How  can  a  sinner  know." — C.  Wesley. 

"  The  Marks  of  Faith."  Eight  eight-line  stanzas  ; 
the  fourth  and  fifth  omitted.  The  meter  of  this  hymn 
was  originally  six  lines  6s,  and  two  8s  ;  but  it  has  been 
altered  to  short  meter,  by  inserting  the  word  "gra- 
cious "  in  the  third  line  of  verse  1,  and  erasing  the 
word  "ourselves"  from  the  first  fine  of  verse  2;  and 
by  similar  emendations  throughout  that  portion  of  the 
hymn  which  has  been  transferred  to  our  collection. 

Hymn  178.  t:  Thou  great  mysterious  God,  unknown." 

€.  Wesley. 

A  "  Redemption  Hymn,"  of  eight  stanzas,  the  fifth 
and  sixth  omitted.     Here  is  the  fifth, — 

"  Ah,  never  let  thy  servant  rest, 
Till  of  my  part  in  Christ  possess'd, 

I  on  thy  mercy  feed  : 
Unworthy  of  the  crumbs  that  fall. 
Yet  raised  by  Him  who  died  for  all, 
To  cat  the  children's  bread." 

The  reference  is  to  the  woman  of  Canaan,  who  desired 
the  Lord  to  come  and  heal  her  daughter  :  "  Then  came 
she  and  worshiped  him,  saying,  Lord,  help  me.  But  he 
answered  and  said,  It  is  not  me6t  to  take  the  children's 
bread  and  to  cast  it  to  dogs.  And  she  said,  Truth, 
Lord :  yet  the  dogs  eat  of  the  crumbs  that  fall  from 
their  master's  table.  Then  Jesus  answered  and  said 
unto  her,  0  woman,  great  is  thy  faith ;  be  it  unto  thee 
even  as  thou  wilt."  Matt,  xv,  22-28. 

Hymn  179.     "Arise,  my  soul,  arise." — C.  Wesley. 
"Behold  the  Man!"  John  xix,  5. 


METHODIST    H VMNOLOGY.  281 

Hymn  ISO.  "  Great  God!  to  me  the  sight  afford."—  C.  Wesley. 

"  The  Lord  descended  in  the  cloud  and  proclaimed 
the  name  of  the  Lord,"  cvc.  Exodus  xxxiv,  5,  6. 

Hymn  181.  "  I  ask  the  gift  of  righteousness."—  C.  Wesley. 

"  What  things  soever  ye  desire  when  ye  pray,  be- 
lieve that  ye  receive  them,  and  ye  shall  have  them." 
Mark  xi,  24.  First  double  stanza  omitted.  The  last  two 
lines  of  the  hymn  originally  read, — 

"  That  I  to  sin  shall  never  cleave, 
Shall  never  act  it  more." 

Hymn  182.  "Expand  thy  wings,  celestial  Dove."—  C.  Wesley. 

This  is  composed  of  two  different "  Scripture  Hymns ;" 
the  first  two  verses,  founded  upon  Gen.  i,  2,  3,  being 
one  ;  and  the  last  three  verses,  founded  upon  2  Chron. 
vi,  20,  21,  the  other. 

Hymn  183.  "  0  Thou  who  hast  our  sorrows  borne." — C.  Wesley. 
From  "  Hymns  for  a  Family  ;"  no  title.     The  author 
wrote  the  last  line  of  verse  1,  "  Renew'd  thy  mortal 
pain."     One  stanzas,  the  third,  omitted  : — 

"  My  heart  all  other  means  defies, 
It  dares  against  thy  threat'nings  rise, 

Thy  righteous  laws  disdains; 
More  harden'd  than  the  fiends  below, 
With  unconcern  to  hell  I  go, 
And  laugh  at  hellish  pains." 

Hymn  184.  "  Thou  God,  unsearchable,  unknown." — C.Wesley. 

"  Verily,  thou  art  a  God  that  hidest  thyself,  0  God 
of  Israel,  the  Saviour."  Isaiah  xlv,  15. 

Hymn  185.  "  Jesus,  whose  glory's  streaming  rays." — J.  Wesley. 
"The  Change:"  a  translation  from  the  German  of 


282  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Wolfgang  Chr.  Dessler,  containing  six  double  stanzas, 
the  last  three  of  which  make  hymn  283.  Verses  1 
and  8  do  not  belong  to  their  present  position :  they  are 
one  of  C.  Wesley's  Short  Scripture  Hymns  on  Zech. 
xiii,  1. 

The  Scriptural  references  in  this  hymn  are  frequent, 
and  of  a  highly  interesting  character. 

"  Not  seraphs  view  with  open  face, 

But  veil'd  before  thy  presence  stand." 

"  I  saw  the  Lord  sitting  upon  a  throne,  high  and 
lifted  up,  and  his  train  filled  the  temple.  Above  it 
stood  the  seraphims :  each  one  had  six  wings ;  with 
twain  he  covered  his  face!"  Isa.  vi,  1. 

"  How  shall  weak  eyes  of  flesh,  weigh'd  down 
With  sin,  and  dim  with  error's  night, 
Dare  to  behold  thy  awful  throne, 
Or  view  the  unapproached  light  ?" 

"  And  the  sight  of  the  glory  of  the  Lord  was  like 
devouring  fire  on  the  top  of  the  mount  in  the  eyes  of 
the  children  of  Israel."  Exod.  xxiv,  17. 

"  Open  mine  eyes  of  faith,  thy  face 
So  shall  I  see,  yet,  seeing,  live." 

"  And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses  face  to  face,  as  p 
man  speaketh  to  his  friend."  Exod.  xxxiii,  11. 

"  And  he  said,  Thou  canst  not  see  my  face  :  for  then- 
shall  no  man  see  me,  and  live."  Exod.  xxxiii,  20. 

"  The  golden  sceptre  from  above 
Reach  forth." 

"All  the  king's  servants,  and  the  people  of  the 
king's  provinces,  do  know,  that  whosoever  shall  come 
unto  the  king  into  the  inner  court,  who  is  not  called, 
there  is  one  law  of  his  to  put  him  to  death,  except 


METHODIST    BYMNOLOGY.  283 

such  to  whom  the  king  shall  hold  out  the  golden  scep- 
tre, that  he  may  live."  Esther  iv,  11. 

"  Say  to  my  soul,  Thou  art  my  Love, 
My  chosen  midst  ten  thousand  thou." 

"  My  Beloved  is  the  chiefest  among  ten  thousand." 
Cant,  v,  10. 

"O  Jesus,  full  of  grace." 
"  The  only  begotten  of  the  Father,  full  of  grace  and 
truth."  John  i,  14. 

c:  Hark,  how  my  silence  speaks  and  cries." 
"  I  was  dumb  with  silence :  I  held  my  peace — my  sor- 
row was  stirred.     Mine  heart  was  hot  within  me  ;  while 
I  was  musing  the  fire  burned."  Psalm  xxxix,  2,  3. 

"  Mercy,  thou  God  of  mercy,  show." 

"  Showing  mercy  unto  thousands  of  them  that  love 
me  and  keep  my  commandments."  Exod.  xx,  G. 

:t  Thou,  Lord,  whose  blood  so  freely  flow'd." 
"  But  one  of  the  soldiers  with  a  spear  pierced  his 
side,  and  forthwith  came  thereout  blood  and  water." 
John  xix,  34. 

"  By  faith  I  to  the  Fountain  fly, 
Open'd  for  all  mankind  and  me." 

"  In  that  day  there  shall  be  a  fountain  opened,  in  the 
house  of  David  and  to  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem, 
for  sin  and  uncleanness.  Zech.  xiii,  1. 

Hymn  186.  "  Saviour,  the  world's  and  mine."—  C.  Wesley. 

Second  hymn  "  On  the  Titles  of  Christ."  There  is, 
in  the  following  line,  verse  1, 

"  Thou,  my  pain,  my  curse,  hast  took'1 


284  METHODIST    I1YMN0L0GY. 

a  grammatical  inaccuracy ;  but  in  Mr.  Wesley's  day  it 
was  not  so  considered,  and  similar  errors  may  be  found 
in   the  writings  of   the  best   authors  of  that   period. 

Hysin  187.  "  0  Love  divine,  what  hast  thou  done  ?" — C.  Wesley. 

"  Desiring  to  Love."  The  sweet  and  touching  bur- 
den— "  My  Lord,  my  Love,  is  crucified " — says  Dr. 
Summers,  is  taken  from  Ignatius,  the  martyr.  We  find 
the  same  line  in  the  "  Songs  of  Praise,"  by  Mason,  of 
the  seventeenth  century. 

Hymn  188.  "  Behold  the  Saviour  of  mankind." — S.  Wesley,  Sen. 

This  is  the  only  hymn  in  the  collection  by  the  elder 
Samuel  Wesley,  and  it  was  preserved  in  a  singular 
manner  when  the  author's  parsonage  was  consumed  by 
fire,  the  second  time,  August  24th,  1709.  "Among 
other  little  mementos  of  this  calamity,"  says  the  editor 
of  Dr.  Clarke's  Wesley  Family,  "  four  leaves  of  music 
may  be  noticed,  the  edges  of  which  bear  the  marks  of 
the  fire,  and  may  be  handed  down  to  posterity  as  a 
curiosity.  Charles  Wesley,  Jun.,  has  written  on  one  of 
the  leaves,  '  The  words  by  my  grandfather,  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Wesley.  Probably  the  music  was  adapted  by 
Henry  Purcell,  or  Dr.  Blow.'  Then  follows  '  A  Hymn 
on  the  Passion :  the  words  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Samuel 
Wesley,  rector  of  Epworth,  in  the  diocese  of  Lincoln/ 

'  Behold  the  Saviour  of  mankind,' "  &e. 

This  copy  of  the  hymn  does  not  embrace  the  fourth 
verse,  as  it  stands  in  our  collection,  which  was  probably 
written  by  John  Wesley;  but  it  contains  two  other 
stanzas,  the  second  and  last,  which  are  subjoined  : — 


METHODIST    IIVMNOLOGY.  285 

"  Though  far  unequal  our  low  praise 
To  thy  vast  suff'rings  prove, 
0  Lamb  of  God,  thus  all  our  days, 
Thus  will  we  grieve  and  love  !" 

';  Thy  loss  our  ruins  did  repair, 
Death,  by  thy  death,  is  slain  ; 
Thou  wilt  at  length  exalt  us,  where 
Thou  dost  in  glory  reign." 

Hymn  189.  "  Of  Hun  who  did  salvation  bring." — C.  Wesley. 

"  We  love  him,  because  he  first  loved  us."  1  John  iv, 
19.  Three  stanzas,  the  third,  fourth,  and  fifth,  omitted. 
The  third  runs  thus, — 

"Eternal  Lord,  Almighty  King, 
All  heaven  doth  with  thy  triumphs  ring  : 
Thou  conquer'st  all  beneath,  above; 
Devils  with  force,  and  men  with  love." 

Hymn  190.  "  Plunged  in  a  gulf  of  dark  despair." — Watts. 

"Praise  to  the  Redeemer."  Three  stanzas  omitted. 
This  hymn  is  a  fine  representation  of  the  condition  of 
darkness  and  despair  into  which  the  world  of  mankind 
were  plunged  by  the  apostasy  of  their  primeval  head, 
the  compassion  with  which  they  were  regarded  by  the 
"Prince  of  grace,"  who  left  with  "joyful  haste  "the 
"  shining  seats  above,"  and  entered  the  grave  to  effect 
their  redemption.  After  this  reference  to  the  atone- 
ment, the  poet  calls  upon  the  "  rocks  and  hills,"  with 
"human  tongues,"  to  speak  their  Saviour's  praise.  He 
invokes  the  angels  with  "  their  harps  of  gold,"  to  assist 
in  the  mighty  joys.  Having  thus  raised  the  climax  of 
a  powerful  anthem,  he  declares  its  insufficiency  to  tell 
the  love  of  Him  of  whom  they  sing,  in  the  immortal 
lines, — 


286  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

"  But  when  you  raise  your  highest  notes, 
His  love  can  ne'er  be  told." 

Hymn  191.  "Alas  !  and  did  my  Saviour  bleed  ?" — Watts. 

"  Godly  Sorrow,  arising  from  the  Sufferings  of  Christ." 
The  second  stanza  rejected. 

Hymn  192.  "Ye  heavens,  rejoice  in  Jesus's  grace." — C.  Wesley. 

This  appears  in  the  "Redemption  Hymns,"  1746; 
and  was  afterward  published  in  the  first  volume  of  the 
author's  "  Hymns  and  Sacred  Poems,"  1*749,  as  part  of 
a  paraphrase  of  the  forty-fourth  chapter  of  Isaiah, 
where  it  seems  to  be  introduced  as  a  chorus,  after  the 
following  stanza : — 

"  I,  the  bright  Sun  of  righteousness, 
Have  chased  the  darkness  all  away ; 
Return  to  me,  who  bought  thy  peace, 
Rejoice  to  see  my  gospel-day." 

Hymn  193.  "Extended  on  a  cursed  tree." — J.  Wesley. 

"  They  shall  look  upon  Me,  whom  they  have  pierced." 
Zcch.  xii,  10.     A  translation  from  the  German. 

Hymn  194,  "  Ye  that  pass  by,  behold  the  Man !" 

Hymn  195.  "  O  thou  dear  suff 'ring  Son  of  God." — C.  Wesley. 

These  two  are  portions  of  "  A  Passion  Hymn,"  con- 
taining eighteen  stanzas ;  the  third,  fourth,  seventh, 
seventeenth,  and  eighteenth  of  which,  have  been  re- 
jected. In  reference  to  a  sentiment  expressed  in  the 
second  verse  of  hymn  195,  Dr.  Clarke  makes  the 
following  remarks  :  "  How  often  do  we  hear  these,  or 
similar  words,  said  or  sung  : — 

'  Give  me  to  feel  thy  agonies  ! 

One  drop  of  thy  sad  cup  afford !' 


METHODIST    IIYMN0L0GY.  287 

"  Reader  !  one  drop  of  this  cup  would  bear  down  thy 
soul  to  endless  ruin  ;  and  these  agonies  would  annihilate 
the  universe.  He  suffered  alone:  for  of  the  people 
there  was  none  with  him,  because  his  sufferings  were 
to  make  an  atonement  for  the  sins  of  the  world  :  and  in 
the  work  of  redemption  he  had  no  helper." — Com., 
Luke  xxiii,  28.  The  language  of  the  hymn,  doubtless, 
requires  some  qualification,  although  Mr.  Wesley  did 
not  use  it  in  a  sense  so  objectionable.  "  In  a  qualified 
sense,  however,  the  expression  may  be  allowed :  and 
there  is  some  Scriptural  ground  of  vindication.  Chris- 
tians are  said  to  suffer  with  Christ ;  and  the  apostle 
Paul  declared  that  he  was  filling  up,  in  his  flesh,  that 
which  is  behind  of  tlie  afflictions  of  Christ;  and  our 
Lord  himself  said  to  Zebedee's  sons,  '  Ye  shall,  indeed, 
drink  of  my  cup.'  There  is,  therefore,  a  sense  in  which 
believers  may  drink  of  the  Redeemer's  cup,  and  sym- 
pathize in  his  sufferings  ;  though  not  in  the  way  of 
atoning  for  sin.  Without  such  a  restriction,  the  lan- 
guage of  the  verse  would  be  improper  and  indefensible." 
— Burgess. 

Hymn  196.  "  Jesus  drinks  the  bitter  cup." —  C.  Wesley. 

This,  and  hymn  200,  are  parts  of  a  hymn  on  the 
Lord's  Supper,  containing  nine  stanzas,  two  of  which, 
the  fifth  and  sixth,  have  been  omitted  from  our  Hymn- 
book,  but  are  inserted  in  the  English  collection.  They 
are  as  follow : — 

"  Dies  the  glorious  Cause  of  all ! 
The  true  eternal  Pan 
Falls,  to  raise  us  from  our  fall, 

To  ransom  fallen  man  ! 
Well  may  Sol  withdraw  his  light, 
With  the  Suff'rcr  sympathize, 


288  METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY. 

Leave  the  world  in  sudden  night, 
While  his  Creator  dies ! 

"  Well  may  heaven  be  clothed  with  black, 

And  solemn  sackcloth  wear, 
Jesus'  agony  partake, 

The  hour  of  darkness  share : 
Mourn  th'  astonish'd  hosts  above ; 

Silence  saddens  all  the  skies  ; 
Kindler  of  seraphic  love, 

The  God  of  angels  dies !" 

This  hymn,  196,  says  Mr.  Burgess,  "  is  one  of  great 
poetical  beauty  and  excellence.  The  writer  notices,  in 
bold  and  striking  language,  the  signs  and  wonders  ac- 
companying, or  following,  the  death  of  Christ.  The 
graves  are  opened,  the  rocks  are  rent  asunder,  the  earth 
quakes,  the  heavenly  bodies  are  affected,  all  nature  is 
convulsed.  What  is  the  cause  of  all  this  ?  The  cause 
of  this  is  :  Jesus  drinks  the  bitter  cup,  tasting  death  for 
every  man.  He,  who  is  truly  the  great  Jehovah,  dies. 
The  sun  is  represented  as  sympathizing  with  the  suf- 
ferer, and  withdrawing  his  light — the  heavens  put  on 
the  livery  of  woe — the  hosts  above  mourn — the  very 
skies  become  sad  :  for  He  who  now  dies  is  not  only 
the  Creator  of  man,  but  the  God  of  angels — the  object 
of  supreme  adoration  and  love  to  seraphim  and  cheru- 
bim. In  the  verse  first  quoted,  the  poet  takes  advan- 
tage of  a  rumor  mentioned  by  Plutarch,  as  connected 
with  the  history  of  the  heathen  god  Pan.  Plutarch 
states  that,  in  the  reign  of  Tiberius,  who  was  emperor 
of  Rome  at  the  time  of  our  Saviour's  crucifixion,  an  ex- 
traordinary voice  was  heard  near  some  islands  in  the 
Ionian  Sea,  which  exclaimed,  The  great  Pan  is  dead  ! 
The  augurs  were  consulted  on  the  occasion  by  the  em- 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  289 

peror  ;  but  they  could  not  explain  the  meaning  of  this 
supernatural  voice.  Whether  this  were  mere  imagina- 
tion, or  gratuitous  fiction,  or  a  poetical  contrivance,  we 
cannot  perhaps  say ;  but,  at  all  events,  the  poet  applies 
it  to  good  purpose.  Many  of  the  heathens  paid  great 
honors  to  the  god  Pan,  whom  they  regarded  as  the 
source  of  fecundity,  and  as  the  principle  or  origin  of  all 
things.  Hence,  by  them,  the  death  of  Pan  would  be 
considered  a  great  and  general  calamity.  Now  all  this 
was  heathenish  superstition  and  error.  What  they  in 
their  ignorance  attributed  to  Pan,  belonged  really  and 
truly  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  He  is  the  source  and 
origin  of  all  things — the  beginning  of  tlie  creation  of 
God.     Well,  therefore,  does  our  poet  sing  : — 

1  Dies  the  glorious  Cause  of  all ! 

The  true  eternal  Pan 
Falls,  to  raise  its  from  our  fall, 
To  rescue  sinful  man.' 

Thus,  as  the  Christian  apostle,  preaching  at  Athens, 
seized  that  fine  saying  of  the  Greek  poet  Cleanthes — 
We  are  his  offspring — addressed  by  him  to  the  ima- 
ginary god,  Jupiter,  the  supreme  deity  of  the  Greeks 
and  Romans,  and  forcibly  applied  it  to  Him  to  whom 
alone  it  properly  belongs,  even  to  that  God  who  made 
the  world  and  all  things  therein,  and  who  is  Lord  of 
heaven  and  earth  ;  so  our  Christian  poet  seizes  the  story 
of  Pan  and  the  supernatural  voice  announcing  his  death, 
and  applies  it  to  the  blessed  Redeemer  and  his  death. 
Thus  what  would  in  its  original  application  be  frivolous 
and  false,  is  dignified  by  being  associated  with  divine 
truth,  and  with  events  of  a  most  interesting  and  im- 
portant character. 

"  For  this,  Charles  Wesley  has  the  example  of  Milton, 
13 


290  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

who,  in  his  '  Hymn  for  the  Morning  of  Christ's  Nativity/ 
says, — 

'  The  shepherds  on  the  lawn, 
Or  o'er  the  point  of  dawn, 

Sat  simply  chatting  in  a  rustic  row  ; 
Full  little  thought  they  then 
That  the  mighty  Pan 
Was  kindly  come  to  live  with  them  below.' 

We  have  another  instance  of  this  in  that  very  beautiful 
and  devotional  piece,  entitled,  '  Eupolis's  Hymn  to  the 
Creator ;  from  the  Greek.'  This  appeared  originally  in 
the  volume  published  by  the  two  brothers  in  1*739, 
under  the  title  of  '  Hymns  and  Sacred  Poems,'  and  is 
generally  thought,  and  on  good  grounds,  to  have  been 
the  production  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Wesley,  rector  of 
Epworth.  This  noble  address  to  the  Deity  begins 
thus, — 

'  Author  of  being,  source  of  light, 

With  unfading  beauties  bright, 

Fullness,  goodness,  rolling  round 

Thy  own  fair  orb  without  a  bound  : 

Whether  thee  thy  suppliants  call 

Truth,  or  Good,  or  One,  or  All, 

Ei  or  Jao !  thee  we  hail, 

Essence  that  can  never  fail, 

Grecian  or  Barbaric  name, 

Thy  steadfast  being  still  the  same.' 

Here  among  the  appellations  given  to  the  Deity,  we 
have  All,  which  is  exactly  equivalent  to  Pan,  being  the 
English  translation  of  that  Greek  word.  Further  on  in 
the  poem  the  Supreme  Being  is  expressly  called  Pan, — 

'  Thy  herbage,  0  great  Pan,  sustains 
The  flocks  that  graze  our  Attic  plains  ; 
The  olive,  with  fresh  verdure  crown'd, 
Rises  pregnant  from  the  ground  ; 


METHODIST    IIYMXOLOGY.  291 

At  thy  command  it  shoots  and  springs, 
And  a  thousand  blessings  brings.' 

Ill  the  close  of  the  poem  we  again  find  the  same  idea, — 

'  0  Father  !  King  !  whose  heavenly  face 
Shines  serene  on  all  thy  race ! 
We  thy  magnificence  adore, 
And  thy  -well-known  aid  implore ; 
Nor  vainly  for  thy  help  we  call ; 
Nor  can  we  want ;  for  thou  art  All !' 

Thou  art  All :  as  though  he  had  said,  The  name  Pan 
properly  belongs  to  thee ;  for  thou  art  the  Creator  and 
Preserver,  the  Benefactor  and  Governor,  of  all ;  the 
Father  and  Friend  of  the  human  race. 

"  Verse  2  is  solemn,  pathetic,  and  impassioned :  the 
person  reading  or  singing  the  hymn  is  supposed  to 
realize  the  affecting  scene ;  and  lo !  he  feels  the  mortal 
smart ;  his  very  heart  is  broken :  then  in  the  meltings 
of  his  tenderness  and  gratitude  he  turns  to  his  fellow- 
sinners,  inviting  them  to  contemplate  and  to  love  Him 
who  died  for  them.  In  verse  3  our  meditations  are 
turned  away  from  the  sufferings  and  death  of  Christ  to 
his  resurrection  and  ascension,  and  then  sorrow  gives 
place  to  joy  and  exultation." 

Hymn  197.  "  Where  shall  my  wond'ring  soul  begin." — C.  Wesley. 
"  Christ  the  Friend  of  Sinners."  This,  and  hymn  287, 
were  both  written  on  the  subject  of  the  author's  con- 
version. Two  stanzas,  the  fifth  and  sixth,  have  been 
rejected  from  the  Hymn-book, — 

"  Outcasts  of  men,  to  you  I  call, 

Harlots,  and  publicans,  and  thieves  ! 
He  spreads  his  arms  t'  embrace  you  all ; 

Sinners  alone  his  grace  receives  : 
No  need  of  him  the  righteous  have, 
He  came  the  lost  to  seek  and  save. 


292  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

"  Come  all  ye  Alagdalens  in  lust, 

Ye  ruffians  fell  in  murders  old  ; 
Repent,  and  live ;  despair  and  trust ; 

Jesus  to  death  for  you  was  sold ; 
Though  hell  protest,  and  earth  repine, 
He  died  for  crimes  like  yours — and  mine." 

Hymn  198.  ':  Adam  descended  from  above." — C.  Wesley. 

"  I  will  give  thee  for  a  covenant  of  the  people,  for 
a  light  of  the  Gentiles ;  to  open  the  blind  eyes,"  &c. 
Isaiah  xlii,  6,  7.  The  second  line  of  verse  1  was 
written  by  the  poet  thus, — 

"  Federal  Head  of  all  mankind ;" 

and  so  it  still  reads  in  the  English  Hymn-book,  where 
also  are  retained  the  author's  words  in  the  third  line  of 
verse  5, — 

"  Bring  forth  out  of  this  hellish  pit." 


Hymn  199.  "  Would  Jesus  have  the  sinner  die"?" — C. 

This  originally  was  the  latter  part  of  hymns  15  and 
16.     The  first  couplet  of  verse  4, 

"  0  let  me  kiss  thy  bleeding  feet, 
And  bathe  and  wash  them  with  my  tears." 

is  a  beautiful  allusion  to  Luke  vii,  37,  38  :  "  And,  be- 
hold a  woman  in  the  city,  which  was  a  sinner,  when 
she  knew  that  Jesus  sat  at  meat  in  the  Pharisee's  house, 
brought  an  alabaster  box  of  ointment,  and  stood  at  his 
feet  behind  him  weeping,  and  began  to  wash  his  feet 
with  tears,  and  did  wipe  them  with  the  hairs  of  her 
head,  and  kissed  his  feet,  and  anointed  them  with  the 
ointment." 

Hymn  200.  "  God  of  unexampled  grace." — C.  Wesley. 
First  part  of  hymn  196,  as  originally  written. 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  293 

Hymn  201.  "  Father,  how  wide  thy  glories  shine." — Watts. 

One  of  the  author's  "  Lyric  Poems,"  entitled,  "  God 
glorious,  and  Sinners  saved,"  containing  nine  quatrains. 
Dr.  Watts  did  not  write  the  "  Doxology  "  at  the  end 
of  the  hymn,  the  first  line  of  which  should  read  thus, — 

{;  Father,  how  wide  thy  glory  shines." 

The  following  quatrain,  to  preserve  the  connection, 
and  give  the  sense  of  the  author,  should  come  between 
the  second  and  third  stanzas, — 

"  Our  thoughts  are  lost  in  reverend  awe ; 
We  love  and  we  adore 
The  first  archangel  never  saw 
So  much  of  God  before. " 

Hymn*  202.  "  When  Israel  out  of  Egypt  came." — C.  Wesley. 

This  is  a  most  beautiful  paraphrase  of  Psalm  cxiv, 
by  the  poet  of  Methodism.  Mr.  Burgess,  whose 
accuracy  of  facts  is  generally  as  reliable  as  his  elegance 
of  style  is  charming,  has  fallen  into  an  error  about  the 
authorship  of  this  hymn,  attributing  it  in  the  first  edi- 
tion of  his  Hymnology  to  Addison,  and  in  the  second 
to  Andrew  Marvell.  "It  appears,"  says  he,  "in  an 
edition  of  his  Works,  in  three  volumes  quarto,  published 
in  1 T  7  G  ;  and  is  said  to  have  been  found  among  Man-ell's 
other  poems,  either  written  by  himself,  or  copied  by 
his  direction."  Mr.  Burgess  appears  to  have  decided 
somewhat  hastily  in  this  instance,  as  the  paraphrase 
published  in  MarvelTs  Works  is  not  the  same  which 
constitutes  hymn  202  ;  but  Dr.  Watts's  paraphrase  of 
the  same  Psalm,  commencing, 

"  When  Israel,  freed  from  Pharaoh's  hand, 
Left  the  proud  tyrant  and  his  land." 


294  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

The  fifth  line  of  verse  4  should  read, — 

"  He  shakes  the  centre  with  his  nod." 
There  are  a  number  of  allusions  to  Scripture  in  this 
hymn. 

"  Supported  hy  the  great  I  am." 

"  Thus  shalt  thou  say  to  the  children  of  Israel,  I  am 
hath  sent  me  unto  you."  Exod.  iii,  14. 

"  Safe  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand." 
"  Who  measured  the  waters  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand." 
Isaiah  xl,  12. 

"  The  Lord  in  Israel  reign'd  alone." 
"  The  Lord  your  God  was  your  King."  1  Sam.  xii,  12. 

"  The  sea  beheld  his  power,  and  fled, 
Departed  hy  the  wond'rous  rod." 

"  But  lift  up  thou  thy  rod,  and  stretch  out  thy  hand 
over  the  sea  and  divide  it,  and  the  children  of  Israel 
shall  go  on  dry  ground  in  the  midst  of  the  sea."  Exod. 
xiv,  16. 

"  Jordan  ran  backward  to  its  head." 

"  And  as  they  that  bare  the  ark  were  come  unto 
Jordan,  and  the  feet  of  the  priests  that  bare  the  ark 
were  dipped  in  the  brim  of  the  water.  .  .  .  The  waters 
that  came  down  from  above  rose  up  upon  a  heap  very 
far  from  the  city  of  Adam  that  is  beside  Zaretan.  .  .  . 
And  the  people  passed  over  right  against  Jericho. 
And  the  priests  that  bare  the  ark  of  the  covenant  of  the 
Lord  stood  firm  on  dry  ground  in  the  midst  of  Jordan, 
and  all  the  Israelites  passed  over  on  dry  ground." 
Josh,  iii,  15-1*7. 

"  When  Israel  went  out  of  Egypt,  the  house  of 
Jacob  from  a  people  of  strange  language.  .  .  .  The  sea 


METIIODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  295 

saw  it   and    fled ;    Jordan  was  driven  back."  Psalm 

cxiv,  1-3. 

"  And  Sinai  felt  the  incumbent  God." 

"  Sinai  was  moved  at  the  presence  of  God."  Psalm 
lxviii,  8. 

Hymn  203.  u  Eternal  "Wisdom  !  thee  we  praise." — Watts. 

A  lyric,  entitled,  "A  Song  to  Creating  Wisdom," 
of  eighteen  stanzas,  the  second,  ninth,  eleventh,  twelfth, 
thirteenth,  and  fifteenth  of  which,  have  been  omitted. 
The  bungling  attempt  to  improve  the  poetry  of  this 
hymn,  in  several  places,  has  been  signally  unsuccessful. 
In  the  eighth  verse  we  have  the  ungrammatical  line, 

"  A  thousand  herbs  thy  arts  displays  /" 
The  whole  stanza,  as  Watts  wrote  it,  runs  thus, — 

"  How  did  his  wondrous  skill  array 
Your  fields  in  charming  green  ; 
A  thousand  herbs  his  art  display, 
A  thousand  flowers  between !" 

Hymn  204.  "Praise  ye  the  Lord,  ye  immortal  choirs." — Watts. 
Another  lyric,  entitled,  "  The  Universal  Hallelujah," 
being  a  fine  paraphrase  of  the  one  hundred  and  forty- 
eighth  Psalm,  which,  says  Dr.  Clarke,  "  as  a  hymn  of 
praise,  is  the  most  sublime  in  the  whole  book."  Three 
stanzas,  1,  5,  and  14,  omitted.  Watts  wrote  the  first 
two  verses  thus  : — 

':  Praise  ye  the  Lord  with  joyful  tongue, 
Ye  powers  that  guard  his  throne ; 
Jesus,  the  man.  shall  Lead  the  song, 
The  God  inspire  the  tune. 

"  Gabriel,  and  all  th'  immortal  choir 
That  fill  the  realms  above, 
Sing,  for  he  form'd  you  of  his  fire, 
And  feeds  you  with"  Ins  love." 


296  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

"  How  many  have  spoken  loud  in  its  praises,  who 
have  never  attempted  to  express  their  feelings  in  a 
stanza  of  the  hundred  and  forty -eighth  Psalm!  But  to 
the  rapturous  adorers  of  Milton's  poetry  what  is  the 
song  of  David,  or  this  grand  music  of  the  spheres! 
Know  this,  O  forgetful  man,  that  Milton's  Morning 
Hymn  [P.  L.,  b.  v,  1.  153,  &c]  is  a  paraphrase  of  this 
Psalm,  and  is  indebted  to  it  for  every  excellence  it 
possesses.  It  is  little  else  than  the  Psalmist  speaking 
in  English  instead  of  Hebrew  verse." — Clarke's  Com., 
Psa.  cxlviii,  14. 

Hymn  205.  "  O  God  of  good,  the  unfathom'd  sea ! " — J.  Wesley. 
"  God's  Love  to  Mankind ;"  a  translation  from  the 
German. 

Hymn  206.  "Hail,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost."—  C.  Wesley. 

"Of  God;"  the  first  of  "Hymns  for  Children." 
The  second  stanza  omitted  : — 

"  Thou  neither  canst  he  felt  nor  seen ; 
Thou  art  a  spirit  pure, 
Who  from  eternity  hast  heen, 
And  always  shalt  endure." 

The  author  wrote  the  last  line  of  verse  1  thus, — 

"  Our  songs  we  make  of  Thee." 

Hymn  207.  "  0  God,  thou  bottomless  abyss." — J.  Wesley. 

"  God's  Greatness ;"  a  translation  from  the  German 
of  Dr.  Breithaupt.  The  second  line  of  verse  3,  second 
part,  originally  read, — 

"  Incessant  blessings  doion  distils  f 

but,  as  "now"  does  not  make  good  sense,  and  "down 
distils"  is  rather  tautological,  the  editor  of  the  new 


METHODIST    HYMN0L0GY.  297 

Hymn-book  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South, 
has  altered  the  line  so  as  to  read, — 

"  Parent  of  pood  !  thy  bounteous  hand 
Incessant  benefits  distils." 

This,  says  a  recent  writer,  "  is  an  awe-inspiring  hymn, 
serious  without  being  heavy  ;  bold  without  being  ex- 
travagant. Either  to  sing  or  read  it  devoutly,  brings 
God  so  immediately  before  one,  that  the  mind  becomes 
filled  with  adoring  awe.  After  descriptions  of  the  vast 
power  of  Jehovah,  of  his  providence,  and  goodness, 
and  wisdom  ;  and  after  representing  justice  and  truth 
as  standing  before  him,  how  delightfully  the  following 
lines  are  introduced, — 

'  Yet  nearer  to  Thy  saered  throne, 
Mercy  withholds  thy  lifted  hand  !' " 

Hymx  208.  "  Glorious  God,  accept  a  heart."—  C.  Wesley. 

From  "  Hymns  for  Children."  The  last  stanza  of 
this  hymn,  when  made  the  language  of  a  believing 
heart,  cannot  but  be  acceptable  to  Him  who  is  "  mer- 
ciful to  all ;"  and  although  we  are  commanded  when 
we  pray  not  to  use  "  vain  repetitions,"  yet  the  personal 
appropriation  of  the  pronoun  me  in  the  following  stanza, 
repeated  five  times,  in  as  many  consecutive  lines,  so  far 
from  being  a  violation  of  that  command,  is  only  expres- 
sive of  that  importunity  which  should  ever  characterize 
the  devotion  of  a  disciple  of  Christ.  Here,  then,  earn- 
estness becomes  eloquence  : — 

"  Thou  art  merciful  to  all 
Who  truly  turn  to  Thee! 
Hear  me,  then,  for  pardon  call, 
And  show  thy  grace  to  me: 
13* 


298  METHODIST    IIVMNOLOGY. 

Me,  through  mercy  reconciled, 

Me,  for  Jesus'  sake  forgiven  ; 
Me  receive,  thy  favor1  d  child, 

To  sing  thy  praise  in  heaven.1' 

Hymn  209.  i:  Holy  as  thou,  O  Lord,  is  none." — C.  Wesley. 

"  There  is  none  holy  as  the  Lord  ;  for  there  is  none 
besides  thee ;  neither  is  there  any  rock  like  our  God." 
1  Sam  ii,  2. 

Hymn  210.  "  Thou,  the  great,  eternal  God." — C.  Wesley. 

From  "  Hymns  for  Children,"  containing  eight  stan- 
zas :  the  first  three  of  which  compose  our  hymn  ;  and 
the  last  four,  the  hymn  in  the  Wesleyan  collection,  be- 
ginning, 

"  Good  Thou  art,  and  good  thou  dost." 
The  last  two  lines  of  verse  1, 

"  None  can  with  Thyself  compare, 
Thy  glory  fills  both  earth  and  sky  : 
We,  and  all  thy  creatures,  are 
As  nothing  in  thine  eye," 

seem  to  countenance  a  doctrine  quite  as  objectionable 
and  dangerous  as  the  well-known  couplet  of  Pope : — 

"  Who  sees  with  equal  eye,  as  God  of  all, 
A  hero  perish,  or  a  sparrow  fall." 

To  which  Mr.  John  Wesley  replies :  "  I  cannot  think 
it ;  because  I  believe  the  Bible,  wherein  the  Creator 
and  Governor  of  the  world  himself  tells  me  quite  the 
contrary :  '  Are  ye  not  of  more  value  than  many  spar- 
rows ?'  " — Sermons,  vol.  ii,  pp.  104-5.  But  the  author 
of  the  hymn  did  not  intend  to  inculcate  any  such  un- 
scriptural  tenet.  His  meaning  may  perhaps  be  found 
in  the  following  passage  :   "  For  who  in  heaven  can  be 


METHODIST    HYMJNOLOGY.  299 

compared  unto  the  Lord  ?  who  among  the  sons  of  the 
mighty  can  be  likened  imto  the  Lord  ?  "  Psa.  lxxxix,  6. 

Hymn  211.  "  Blest  be  our  everlasting  Lord." — C.  Wesley. 

1  Chron.  xxix,  10-13.    Does  not  the  fourth  stanza 
recognize  the  doctrine  of  the  divine  right  of  kings? 

"  And  kings  their  power  and  dignity 
Out  of  Thy  hand  receive." 

Before  the  American  revolution,  when  we  were  loyal 
subjects,  we  could  sing,  as  our  British  brethren  still 
do:— 

"  Sovereign  of  all !  whose  will  ordains 
The  powers  on  earth  that  be, 
By  whom  our  rightful  monarch  reigns, 
Subject  to  none  but  thee. 

"  Guard  him  from  all  who  dare  oppose 
Thy  delegate  and  thee  ; 
From  open  and  from  secret  foes, 
From  force  and  perfidy !" 

But  after  we  became  republican  citizens,  it  became  ne- 
cessary to  revolutionize  some  of  our  hymns ;  for  their 
sentiments  were  no  longer  applicable  to  us  as  a  people. 
Hence  the  above  stanzas  were  altered  so  as  to  read, — 

"Ruler  of  all,  whose  will  ordains 
The  powers  on  earth  that  be ; 
By  whom  our  rightful  ruler  reigns, 
Subject  to  laws  and  thee. 

"  Guard  him  from  all  who  dare  oppose 
Our  president  and  thee,"  &c. 

The  hymns  from  which  these  extracts  are  made  may 
be  found  in  the  second  part  of  the  old  double  Hymn- 
book. 


300  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  212.  "Eternal  Power,  whose  high  abode." — Watts. 

From  the  author's  Lyric  Poems,  entitled,  "  God  ex- 
alted above  all  Praise."  The  second  stanza  omitted  ; 
and  the  first  line  of  the  third — the  second  in  the 
Hymn-book — altered  : — 

"  The  lowest  step  ahout  thy  seat 
Rises  too  high  for  Gabriel's  feet ; 
In  vain  the  tall  archangel  tries 
To  reach  thine  height  with  wond'ring  eyes. 
Tliy  dazzling  beauties  ichile  he  sings,"  &c. 

Hymn  213.  "  Holy,  holy,  holy  Lord."—  C.  Wesley. 

From  "  Hymns  and  Prayers  to  the  Trinity."  The 
following  ungrammatical  line  in  verse  2, 

"  Thee,  while  dust  and  ashes  sings" 
indeed  the  whole  quatrain,  seems  to  be  an  imitation  of 
Watts's  beautiful  stanza, — 

<;  Thy  dazzling  beauties  while  he  sings, 

He  hides  his  face  behind  his  icings ; 

And  ranks  of  shining  thrones  around 

Pall  worshiping,  and  spread  the  ground." 

The  quatrain  in  the  Y^esleyan  collection  reads  thus, — 
"  Thee,  while  man,  the  earth-born,  sings, 
Angels  shrink  within  their  wings ; 
Prostrate  seraphim  above 
Breathe  unutterable  love." 

An  excellent  critic  remarks  of  this  hymn,  that  it  "is 
a  composition  of  great  excellence  and  beauty,  the  dic- 
tion being  eminently  choice  and  harmonious.  The  latter 
part  of  verse  2  is  specially  worthy  of  notice.  The 
harsh  word  shrink  is  remarkably  apposite,  as  conveying 
some  impression  of  the  solemn  awe,  approaching  to 
terror,  with  which  the  holy  angels  are  sometimes 
affected,  when  gazing  on  the  glories  of  the  Godhead ; 


METHODIST    I1YMN0L0GY.  301 

and  the  two  following  lines  are  exquisitely  soft  and 
beautiful.  There  are  the  seraphim ;  but  what  is  their 
posture  ?  They  are  not  standing  up,  bold  and  una- 
bashed ;  they  are  not  satisfied  with  concealing  them- 
selves behind  their  wings ;  no — they  fall  prostrate 
before  the  triune  God.  They  are  full  of  love,  but  they 
do  not  attempt  to  give  utterance  to  their  feelings ;  all 
they  can  do  is,  to  breathe  out  silently  their  adoration 
and  praises  ;  and  their  very  breath  is  love — unutterable 
love — love  to  Him  who  is  himself  essential  and  infinite 
love.  Here,  indeed,  wTe  have  noble  thoughts,  conveyed 
in  fine  and  appropriate  language." — Burgess. 

Young  has  the  following  line  in  "  The  Complaint," 
Night  Second, — 

"  Time,  in  advance,  behind  him  hides  his  icings." 

Hymn  214.  "  Hail!  holy,  holy,  holy  Lord."—  C.  Wesley. 

"  One  cried  unto  another,  and  said,  Holy,  holy,  holy 
is  the  Lord  of  hosts."  Isaiah  vi,  3.    See  also  Rev.  iv,  8. 

Hymn  215.  "A  thousand  oracles  divine." — C.  Wesley. 

The  poet,  in  this  fine  hymn  to  the  Trinity,  is  indebted 
to  Dr.  Young  for  some  of  his  best  thoughts,  as  in 
verse  1, — 

t:  Ye  seraphs,  nearest  to  the  throne, 
With  rapturous  amaze 
On  us,  poor  ransom'd  worms,  look  doivn 
For  Heaven's  superior  praise." 

Here  we  have  some  of  the  very  expressions  found  in 
the  following  passage  of  the  Night  Thoughts,  Night 
Fourth,  line  437,  &c. :  the  theme,  redemption  and  the 
holy  angels: — 

" this  theme  is  man's,  and  man's  alone  ; 

Their  vast  appointments  reach  it  not :  they  see 


302  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

On  earth  a  bounty  not  indulged  on  high, 
And  dowmcard  look  for  Heaven's  superior  praise. 
First-born  of  ether !  high  in  fields  of  light ! 
View  man,  to  see  the  glory  of  your  God !" 

Hymn  216.  "Come,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost."—  C.  Wesley. 

The  third  stanza  has  been  rejected  from  the  new 
Hymn-book  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South, 
for  the  following  reason  :  "  C.  Wesley  entertained  the 
opinion,  that  the  work  of  each  of  the  three  persons 
of  the  Trinity  is  so  distinctly  marked,  as  to  become  a 
matter  of  '  experimental  verity '  to  the  Christian  who 
attentively  contemplates  the  work  of  God  in  his  soul. 
The  believer  has  an  inward  demonstration  of  the  great 
mystery  of  the  Trinity.  J.  Wesley  was  not  very 
strongly  impressed  in  favor  of  this  sentiment ;  but  it 
appears  from  the  Life  of  Lady  Maxwell,  that  that  ex- 
traordinary woman,  and  some  others,  like  her,  deeply 
experienced  in  divine  things,  professed,  in  the  language 
of  Doctor  Owen,  to  '  have  communion  distinctly  with 
the  Father,  and  distinctly  with  the  Son,  and  distinctly 
with  the  Holy  Spirit.'  Jeremy  Taylor,  and  some  other 
able  divines,  countenanced  the  opinion.  This  is  not 
the  place  to  denounce,  dispute,  or  defend  it ;  it  is  cer- 
tainly a  matter  of  doubtful  disputation,  and  conse- 
quently may  be  very  well  spared  from  the  '  poetical 
liturgy  '  of  the  church.  Few,  we  think,  will  plead  for 
its  retention,  as  set  forth  in  the  strong,  unqualified 
terms,  of  the  excluded  stanza : 

'  Soon  as  our  pardon'd  hearts  believe 
That  thou  art  pure  essential  love, 
The  proof  we  in  ourselves  receive 
Of  the  three  witnesses  above  ; 


METHODIST    JIYMJNOLOUY.  303 

Sure,  as  the  saints  around  thy  tlu-one, 
That  Father,  Word,  and  Spirit  arc  one.'  "* 

Hymn  217.  "  O  all-creating  God!" — C.  Wesley. 

"  Of  the  Creation  and  Fall  of  Man."  The  first  of 
five  double  stanzas  from  "  Hymns  for  Children." 

Hymn  218.  "  My  soul,  through  my  Kedeemer's  care." — C.  Wesley. 

"Thou   hast  delivered  my  soul   from  death,   mine 

eyes  from  tears,  and  my  feet  from  falling."  Psa.  cxvi,  8. 

Hymn  219.  "  In  that  sad,  memorable  night." 
Hymn  220.  "Let  all  who  truly  bear."—  C.  Wesley. 

Hymns  on  the  Lord's  Supper :  "  As  it  is  a  memo- 
rial of  the  sufferings  and  death  of  Christ."  Hymn  219 
is  an  affecting  paraphrase  of  the  institution  of  the  Lord's 
supper  :  "  And  as  they  were  eating,  Jesus  took  bread, 
and  blessed  it,  and  brake  it,  and  gave  it  to  the  disci- 
ples, and  said,  Take,  eat,  this  is  my  body.  And  he 
took  the  cup,  and  gave  thanks,  and  gave  it  to  them, 
saying,  Drink  ye  all  of  it,  for  this  is  my  blood  of  the 
New  Testament  which  is  shed  for  many,  for  the  re- 
mission of  sins."  Matt,  xxvi,  26-28.  The  last  verse 
of  hymn  219  omitted  : — 

"  The  grace  which  I  to  all  bequeath, 
In  this  divine  memorial  take  ; 
And,  mindful  of  your  Saviour's  death, 
Do  this,  my  followers,  for  my  sake  ; 
Whose  dying  love  hath  left  behind 
Eternal  love  for  all  mankind." 

Hymn  221.  "Jesus,  at  whose  supreme  command." 
11\  mn  :222.  "Jesus,  we  thus  obey."—  C.  Wesley. 

Before  the  Sacrament ;  as  it  is  a  sign  and  means  of 
grace.     Three  quatrains  excluded  from  hymn  222. 
*  Southern  Methodist  Quarterly  Review,  vol.  ii,  p.  84. 


304  METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  223.  t:  Hock  of  Israel,  cleft  for  me."— C.  Wesley. 

The  LotcTs  Supper ;  as  it  is  a  Memorial,  &c.     Four 
double  stanzas. 

Hymn  224.  "  Author  of  our  salvation,  thee." 

Hymn  225.  "  Jesus,  all-redeeming  Lord." — C.  Wesley. 

The  Lord's  Supper ;  as  it  is  a  Sign  and  Means  of 
Grace. 

Hymn  226.  "  Come,  thou  everlasting  Spirit." 

Hymn  227.  "  0,  thou  eternal  Victim,  slain." 

Hymn  228.  "Lamb  of  God,  whose  dying  love." — C.  Wesley. 

The  Lord's  Supper  ;  as  it  is  a  Memorial,  &c. 

Hymn  229.  "  Come,  Saviour,  let  thy  tokens  prove." — C.  Wesley. 
This  is  another  manufactured  hymn.  The  first  stanza 
is  from  hymn  72,  on  the  Lord's  Supper;  the  second 
and  third  compose  the  last  double  stanza  of  hymn 
221  ;  and  the  fourth  is  from  C.  Wesley's  Hymns  and 
Sacred  Poems,  1749,  vol.  i,  p.  188. 

Hymn  230.  "  That  doleful  night  before  his  death." — Hart. 

The  author  wrote  the  third  verse  thus, 

"  Thy  suff 'rings,  Lord,  each  sacred  sign 
To  our  remembrance  brings : 
We  eat  the  bread  and  drink  the  wine, 
But  think  on  nobler  things  ;" 

which  preserves  both  sense  and  rhyme. 

Hymn  231.  ':  Ye  wretched,  hungry,  starving  poor." — Steele. 

"  Longing  Souls  invited  to  the  Gospel  Feast."  Luke 
xiv,  22.     Two  stanzas,  the  third  and  fourth,  omitted  : — 

"  Room  in  the  Saviour's  bleeding  heart : 
There  love  and  pity  meet ; 
Nor  will  he  bid  the  soul  depart 
That  trembles  at  his  feet. 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  305 

"  In  him,  the  Father  reconciled, 
Invites  your  souls  to  come  ; 
The  rebel  shall  be  call'd  a  child, 
And  kindly  welcomed  home." 

The  author  wrote  the  third  line  of  verse  2  thus, 
"  Guilt  holds  you  back,"  &c. ;  and  the  third  line  of 
verse  5,  "  Ye  longing  souls,"  &c. 

Hymn  232.  "  The  King  of  heaven  his  table  spreads." — Doddridye. 
"  Room  at  the  Gospel  Feast."  Luke  xix,  22.  In 
the  second  line,  verse  1,  "blessings"  has  been  substi- 
tuted for  "  dainties,"  as  in  the  original.  Two  stanzas, 
third  and  fifth,  excluded  :  the  latter  runs  thus, — 

"  Yet  is  his  house  and  heart  so  large, 
That  millions  more  may  come ; 
Nor  could  the  wide  assembling  world 
O'erfill  the  spacious  room." 

Hymn  233.  "  Glory  to  God  on  high."— Hart. 

"For  the  Lord's  Supper:"  two  verses,  inclining 
somewhat  to  the  doggerel,  omitted.  Hart  wrote  the 
hist  line,  verse  1,  "That  sin  might  be  forgiven." 

Hymn  234.  "  Celestial  Dove,  descend  from  high." 

Hart  and  Watts. 

Verses  one  and  three  are  the  last  two  of  a  hymn 
by  Hart,  commencing,  "  Father  of  heaven,  we  thee 
address ;"  and  the  second  is  from  Watts,  book  ii, 
h.  141,  v.  6. 

Hymn  235.  "My  Saviour's  pierced  side." — Walts  and  Wesley, 

Verse  1  by  Watts,  book  iii,  h.  9,  v.  4 ;  the  second 
and  third  make  one  of  C.  Wesley's  Short  Scripture 
Hvnins,  on  Acts  xxii,  16. 


306  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  236.  "  Come,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost."— C.  Wesley. 
To  be  used  "At  the  Baptism  of  Adults." 

Hymn  237.  "  0  heavenly  King,  look  down  from  above." 

C.  Wesley. 
"  A  Thanksgiving  Hymn." 

Hymn  238.  "  The  voice  of  my  Beloved  sounds." — C.  Wesley. 

"The  voice  of  my  Beloved."  "Lo,  the  winter  is 
past,  the  rain  is  gone,"  &c.   Cant,  viii,  8,  11. 

The  eleventh  and  twelfth  verses  of  Cant,  ii,  is  beau- 
tifully paraphrased  in  the  second  stanza  of  this  hymn  : — 

"  The  scatter  d  clouds  are  fled  at  last, 
The  rain  is  gone,  the  winter 's  past, 
The  lovely  venial  flowers  appear, 
The  warbling  choirs  enchant  our  ear ; 
Now  with  sweetly  pensive  moan 
Coos  the  turtle-dove  alone." 

"  For  lo !  the  winter  is  past ;  the  rain  is  over  and 
gone ;  the  flowers  appear  on  the  earth ;  the  time  of 
singing  of  birds  is  come,  and  the  voice  of  the  turtle  is 
heard  in  our  land." 

Hymn  239.  "  Come,  let  us  who  in  Christ  believe." — C.  Wesley. 

"  On  God's  Everlasting  Love  :"  the  first  stanza,  and 
last  three,  of  a  hymn  of  fourteen  stanzas.  The  follow- 
ing two  are  the  second  and  third : — 

"  His  grace  would  every  soul  restore 
That  fell  in  Adam's  fall : 
His  Father's  justice  asks  no  more, 
Since  He  hath  died  for  all. 

"  He  died  for  all ;  he  none  pass'd  by 
In  their  forlorn  estate ; 
He  left  not  in  his  sin  to  die 
One  hopeless  reprobate." 


METHODIST    I1YMN0L0GY.  307 

Hymn  240.  "  Thou  hidden  Source  of  calm  repose." — C.  Wesley. 

"  For  Believers."     The  poet  wrote  the  last  line  of 
the  hymn  thus, — 

"  My  life  in  death,  my  heaven  in  hell" 
The  editor  of  the  Hymn-book  evidently  stumbled  at  the 
almost  startling  expression,  and  altered  it ;  though  it 
still  remains  unchanged  in  the  Wesleyan  collection. 
"  In  verses  3  and  4  of  this  fine  hymn,"  says  Mr.  Bur- 
gess, "  we  have  a  comment  on  the  words,  Christ  is 
all  and  in  all,  illustrating  also  that  other  inspired  say- 
ing, All  things  are  yours.  The  poet  selects  various 
circumstances  of  trial,  suffering,  and  distress ;  and,  in 
several  striking  antitheses,  he  points  out  the  privilege 
and  the  happiness  of  the  true  Christian.  Christ  is  his 
rest  in  toil — his  ease  in  pain — his  peace  in  war — his 
gain  in  loss — his  liberty  in  bondage.  Last  of  all,  to 
complete  the  climax,  he  introduces  the  strongest  and 
most  hyperbolical  of  all  the  expressions  employed,  de- 
claring that  Jesus  is  his  heaven  in  hell.  All  the  other 
expressions  in  these  verses  may  be  understood  literally  as 
referring  to  possible  events,  and  to  circumstances  through 
which  many  of  the  disciples  of  Christ  have  actually  had 
to  pass.  But  this  last  expression  can  be  understood 
only  in  a  figurative  way.  It  cannot  be  applied  to  the 
place  or  state  of  eternal  torment,  which  we  usually 
designate  by  the  term  hell :  but  must  be  considered  as 
implying  merely  a  place  or  a  state  of  the  greatest 
bodily  suffering,  or  the  most  distressing  exercises  of 
mind,  not  connected  with  a  guilty  conscience.  Such 
circumstances  might  be  regarded  as  constituting  a  local 
or  temporary  hell ;  and  if  a  Christian  believer  were  so 
situated,  he  would  still  have  a  heaven  of  peace  and 


308  METHODIST    HYMNOLOOY. 

comfort  in  his  soul ;  and  thus  he  might  truly  affirm  that 
Christ  is  his  heaven  in  hell" 


Hymn  241.  "  Talk  with  us,  Lord,  thyself  reveal." — C. 

The  title  is,  "Ona  Journey  ;"  and  the  hymn  is  writ- 
ten in  the  first  person  singular,  and  commences  at  the 
second  stanza  :  the  first  runs  thus, — 

"  Saviour,  who  ready  art  to  hear, 
Headier  than  I  to  pray, 
Answer  my  scarcely  utter'd  prayer, 
And  meet  me  on  the  way." 

Hymn  242.  "Jesus,  to  thee  I  now  can  fly." — C.  Wesley. 

The  sixth,  and  last  three,  of  a  poem  containing  ten, 
stanzas,  entitled,  "  After  a  Relapse  into  Sin." 

Hymn  243.  "  How  happy,  gracious  Lord,  are  we  !" — C.  Wesley. 
"  For  the  Watchnio-ht." 

o 

Hymn  244.  "  Thee  will  I  love,  my  strength,  my  tower." 

J.  Wesley. 

A  translation  from  the  German,  entitled,  "  Gratitude 
for  our  Conversion." 

Hymn  245.  "  Infinite,  unexhausted  love." — C.  Wesley. 

"  After  a  Recovery  :"  eighteen  stanzas,  the  first  eight, 
tenth,  and  sixteenth,  excluded ;  but  in  the  Wesleyan 
collection  the  tenth  stanza  is  inserted,  where  it  forms 
the  seventh : — 

"  Deeper  than  hell,  it  pluck'd  me  thence, 
Deeper  than  inbred  sin, 
Jesus's  love  my  heart  shall  cleanse, 
When  Jesus  enters  in." 


METHODIST!    IIYMXOLOGY.  309 

There  is  apparent  confusion  of  metaphors  in  the  last 
verse,  where  we  are  taught  to  pray, — 

"  And  sink  mc  to  perfection's  height, 
The  depth  of  humble  love." 

The  height  of  Scriptural  perfection,  and  the  depth  of 
humble  love,  are  identical ;  so  that,  remarks  Mr.  Bur- 
gess, "  he  who  realizes  the  one,  cannot  be  a  stranger  to 
the  other.  Now  we  may  raise  a  person  to  a  height,  or 
sink  him  into  a  depth ;  but  we  cannot,  in  strict  pro- 
priety of  language,  speak  of  sinking  any  one  to  a 
height.  In  some  editions  the  third  line  appears  thus, — 
'  And  raise  me  to  perfection's  height.' 

The  meaning  of  the  petition,  however,  is  plain  enough, 
and  is  just  the  same,  whether  we  say  sink  or  raise" 

Hymn  246.  "Jesus,  thou  everlasting  King." — Watts. 

"  The  Coronation  of  Christ,  and  Espousals  of  the 
Church."  Cant,  iii,  2.  The  first  and  last  verses  omit- 
ted :— 

"  Daughters  of  Zion,  come,  behold 
The  crown  of  honor  and  of  gold, 
Which  the  glad  church,  with  joys  unknown, 
Placed  on  the  head  of  Solomon. 

"  O  that  the  months  would  roll  away, 
And  bring  that  coronation  day  ! 
The  King  of  grace  shall  fill  the  throne 
With  all  his  Father's  glories  on." 

The  poet  wrote  the  last  line  of  verse  3  thus, — 
"  Nor  comfoi-t  siiiJc,  nor  love  grow  cold." 

Hymn  247.  "  Thou  Shepherd  of  Israel  and  mine." — C.  Wesley. 
"  Tell  me,  0  thou  whom  my  soul  loveth,  where  thou 


310  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

feedest,  where  thou  makest  thy  flock  to  rest  at  noon." 
Cant,  i,  7. 

Hymn  248.  "  Come,  thou  almighty  King." 

This  is  a  parody  of  the  celebrated  hymn,  "  God  save 
the  King  ;"  and  its  authorship,  like  that  of  the  National 
Anthem,  is  unknown.  In  England  no  efforts  have  been 
spared  to  ascertain  the  origin  of  the  anthem  :  the  author- 
ship has  been  claimed  for  different  parties,  English, 
Scotch,  and  German;  but  the  proof  in  all  the  in- 
stances being  of  doubtful  character,  it  cannot  be  ascrib- 
ed to  any  with  certainty.  The  first  printed  copy  of  the 
National  Anthem,  though  it  is  supposed  to  be  much 
older,  is  said  to  be  that  found  in  the  "Gentleman's 
Magazine"  for  1745,  where  it  is  called  "A  Song  for 
Two  Voices."  And  as  there  are  innumerable  versions 
differing  from  the  original,  it  is  here  inserted  as  a 
literary  relic,  with  the  original  music,  copied  faithfully 
from  the  "veteran  magazine:" — ■ 


smiiiiii 


God  save  great  George  our  king,  Long  live    our 


**rrjTirfrirgi 


no  -  ble  king,  God  save  the    king  ;      Send  him  vie- 


gHh»'?  ¥ 


t= 


mmmm 


METHODIST   IIYMNOLOGY.  311 


to   -   ri  -  ous,     Hap  -  py     and      glo  -  ri  -  ous, 


h"  n  r  [f-t-^^m 


Long  to  reign    o  -  ver    us,    God  save  the    king. 

"  0  Lord  our  God  arise, 
Scatter  his  enemies, 

And  make  them  fall ; 
Confound  their  politics, 
Frustrate  their  knavish  tricks 
On  him  our  hopes  we  fix, 

O  save  us  all. 

"  Thy  choicest  gifts  in  store 
On  George  be  pleased  to  pour, 

Long  may  he  reign ; 
May  he  defend  our  laws, 
And  ever  give  us  cause 
To  say  with  heart  and  voice, 
God  save  the  king." 

It  has  been  asserted  in  the  "  Chronicles  of  the  Seasons," 
that  "  God  save  the  King  "  has  now  become  an  adopted 
national  air  in  many  parts  of  Germany,  such  as  Prussia, 
Saxony,  and  Weimar — and,  may  it  not  be  added,  in  the 
republican  United  States,  disguised  under  the  generic 
title,  "America?"  It  may  be  remarked,  that  in  the 
present  version  of  the  National  Anthem,  the  name  of 


312  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY, 

Queen  Victoria  does  not  occur ;  the  peculiar  metre  of 
the  hymn  rendering  it  difficult,  it  is  said,  to  introduce 
a  word  of  so  many  syllables,  "  without  a  greater  change 
in  the  structure  of  the  whole  than  would  be  willingly 
tolerated."  It  may  perhaps  be  sufficient  that  the  term 
victorious  is  already  there. 

The  earliest  source  which  discovery  has  been  able  to 
make  in  reference  to  the  parody  which  constitutes 
hymn  248,  is  in  the  Appendix  to  a  volume,  entitled,  "  A 
Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns,  extracted  from  Vari- 
ous Authors,  and  published  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Madam" 
The  third  edition,  with  an  Appendix:  London,  1*764. 
This  was  only  nineteen  years  after  the  appearance  of  the 
National  Anthem  in  the  "  Gentleman's  Magazine." 
This  hymn  was  inserted  in  the  first  Hymn-book  pub- 
lished by  Bishops  Coke  and  Asbury,  after  the  institu- 
tion of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  1784;  and 
it  has  deservedly  retained  its  place  and  integrity  through 
all  subsequent  editions,  enlargements,  and  emendations, 
of  that  work,  to  the  present  day.  It  will  probably  re- 
main so  long  as  we  shall  continue  a  church  militant. 

Hymn  249.  "  How  tedious  and  tasteless  the  hours." — Newton. 

"None  upon  earth  I  desire  besides  Thee."  Psalm 
lxxiii,  25.  This  is  truly  one  of  the  sweetest  sacred 
lyrics  in  the  English  language,  the  lively  flow  of  the 
meter  being  in  admirable  keeping  with  the  joyous  cha- 
racter of  the  sentiments  :  for  although  the  poet  asks, 

" why  do  I  languish  and  pine, 

And  why  are  my  winters  so  long  ?" 

it  is  evident  from  the  whole  tenor  of  the  hymn  that  his 
resignation  and  contentment  are  perfect,  and  that  his 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  313 

winters,  though  long,  are  as  pleasant  as  May.  The 
latter  part  of  verse  3, 

"  While  blcss'd  with  a  sense  of  his  love, 
A  palace  a  toy  would  appear ; 
And  prisons  would  palaces  prove, 
If  Jesus  would  dwell  with  me  there," 

which,  perhaps,  contains  the  most  precious  gem  of 
thought  in  the  whole  poem,  excellent  as  it  undoubtedly 
is,  cannot  be  considered  as  entirely  original  with  the 
author,  as  the  "  accomplished  Lovelace,"  an  old  English 
poet,  expresses  the  same  idea  in  the  following  stanza 
of  a  poem  written  when  confined  in  the  Gatehouse  at 
Westminster,  more  than  a  century  before  Newton 
wrote : — 

"  Stone  walls  do  not  a  prison  make, 

Nor  iron  bars  a  cage  ; 
Minds  innocent  and  quiet,  take 

That  for  a  hermitage." 

Though  his  body  was  immured  within  the  walls 
of  a  prison,  Lovelace  felt  that  he  was  not  a  prisoner. 
His  mind  was  uncaged.  And  he  gives  the  reason — 
because  it  was  free  from  guilt.  The  distinction  wears 
the  impress  of  truth.  It  is  the  consciousness  of  guilt 
that  binds  the  mental  powers  and  makes  the  man  a 
prisoner.  It  is  sin  that  throws  its  fetters  around  the 
human  intellect,  estranges  the  man  from  his  God,  and 
shuts  him  up  in  prison.  The  author  of  the  hymn  ex- 
presses this  idea  beautifully  in  its  antithesis, — 

"  And  prisons  would  palaces  prove, 
If  Jesus  ivould  divell  toitli  me  there." 

Hymn  250.  "  Come,  thou  Fount  of  every  blessing." — Robinson. 

This  hymn,  according  to  the  author's  biographer, 
14 


314  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

was  originally  published  in  Dr.  Evans's  or  Mr.  White- 
field's  Hymn-book :  in  the  latter  it  is  entitled,  "  Desiring 
to  pray  worthily,"  where  several  lines  read  somewhat 
differently  from  the  version  in  our  collection.  The  fol- 
lowing anecdote,  in  which  this  hymn  is  referred  to,  is 
related  by  a  correspondent  of  the  "  Christian  Reflector," 
on  the  authority  of  "  a  very  near  relative  of  one  of  the 
parties  concerned."  In  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  Mr. 
Robinson  became  doubtful  as  to  his  religious  character ; 
and,  to  say  the  least,  was  distinguished  for  levity.  A 
lady  one  day  was  traveling  in  a  stage-coach  with  a  gen- 
tleman who  soon  gave  evidence  of  being  well  acquainted 
with  religion.  She  had  been  just  before  reading  the 
hymn  of  which  we  are  writing,  and  asked  his  opinion 
of  it ;  he  waived  the  subject,  and  turned  her  attention 
to  some  other  topic :  but  after  a  short  period,  she  con- 
trived to  return  to  it,  and  described  the  benefits  she  had 
often  derived  from  the  hymn,  and  her  strong  admiration 
of  its  sentiments.  She  observed  the  strange  agitation 
of  her  companion,  but,  as  he  was  arrayed  in  colored 
clothes,  never  suspected  the  cause.  At  length,  entirely 
overcome,  the  gentleman  burst  into  tears,  and  said, 
"  Madam,  I  am  the  individual  who  composed  that  hymn 
years  ago ;  and  I  would  give  a  thousand  worlds,  if  I 
had  them,  to  enjoy  the  feelings  I  then  had."* 

*  In  our  sketch  of  Mr.  Robinson,  (page  67,)  it  is  stated  that 
he  wrote  a  Christmas  hymn,  which  we  suppose  to  be  the  one  in 
our  Sunday  School  Hymn-book,  beginning, 

"  Mighty  God,  wliile  angels  bless  thee, 
May  an  infant  lisp  thy  name  ?" 

The  following  incident  is  related  of  this  hymn  by  the  above 
writer : — "  It  was  written  by  its  author  for  the  use  of  a  little  boy, 
who  sat  during  the  period  of  its  composition  on  his  knee,  and 
whose  mind  was  deeply  impressed,  young  as  he  was,  when 


METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY.  315 

Hymn  251.  "  Ye  ransom'd  sinners,  hear." — C.  Wesley. 

"Rejoicing  in  Hope  :"  eight  stanzas,  the  second  ex- 
cluded. The  first  originally  read,  "Ye  Jiappy  sin- 
ners." 

Hymn  252.  "  Come,  ye  that  love  the  Lord." — Watts. 

"  Heavenly  Joy  on  Earth  :"  ten  quatrains,  the  second 
and  ninth  omitted  ;  the  former  of  which  runs  thus, — 

"  The  sorrows  of  the  mind 

Be  banish'd  from  the  place : 
Religion  never  was  design'd 
To  make  our  pleasures  less." 

Watts  wrote  the  first  four  lines  of  verse  2  of  our 
Hymn-book  as  follow  : — 

"  The  God  that  rules  on  high, 
And  thunders  when  lie  please, 
That  rides  upon  the  stormy  sky, 
And  manages  the  seas." 

Hymn  253.  "  Happy  the  man  who  finds  the  grace." — C.  Wesley. 

"Happy  is  the  man  that  findeth  wisdom,  and  the 
man  that  getteth  understanding,"  &c.  Prov.  iii,  13-18. 
Nine  stanzas ;  the  fourth,  fifth,  and  eighth,  rejected. 

Hymn  254.  £i  Happy  the  souls  to  Jesus  join'd." — C.  Wesley. 

"  The  Sacrament,  a  Pledge  of  Heaven."  A  most  de- 
lightful hymn,  beautifully  describing  the  employment 
of  the  "  family  of  heaven ;"  the  members  of  which, 

Robinson  first  read  it  to  him,  and  then  placed  it  in  his  hand. 
That  child  lived  to  a  great  age.  We  remember  the  deep  feeling 
with  which  he  told  us  the  fact  at  his  own  fireside.  He  was  a 
man  of  great  piety  and  moral  worth,  and  of  considerable  influ- 
ence and  usefulness." 


316  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

although  divided,  part  having  joined  the  church  tri- 
umphant, unite  in  the  same  divine  strain : — 

"  They  sing  the  Lamb  in  hymns  above, 
And  ice  in  hymns  below." 

This  "family"  is  also  called  the  "kingdom  of  heaven," 
which  is  composed  of  the  faithful  on  earth,  and  of 
the  saints  in  heaven.  The  hymn  shows  how,  in  their 
different  positions,  its  subjects  unite  in  praising  God, 
and  anticipates  the  period  when  the  spirits  of  those 
who  are  confined  to  this  world  shall  be  divested  of  their 
fleshly  tenements,  and  unite  in  closer  communion  with 
the  multitudes  of  the  redeemed  who  have  passed 
through  the  place  of  the  holy  here  on  earth  to  that  of 
the  holiest  in  heaven. 

Hymn  255.  "  My  God,  I  am  thine,  What  a  comfort  divine." 

C.  Wesley. 

"  For  Believers  :"  the  language  triumphant,  and  the 
liveliness  of  the  meter  corresponding  with  the  senti- 
ments. 

Hymn  256.  "  Let  earth  and  heaven  agree." — C.  Wesley. 

"  On  God's  Everlasting  Love :"  ten  stanzas ;  sixth, 
eighth,  and  tenth,  omitted. 

Hymn  257.  "  Lord,  how  secure  and  bless'd  are  they." — Watts. 

"The  Pleasures  of  a  Good  Conscience."  The  last 
verse  rejected. 

Hymn  258.  "  Thy  ceaseless,  unexhausted  love." — C.  Wesley. 

"  The  Lord  God,  merciful  and  Gracious,  lono;-suffer- 
ing,  and  abundant  in  goodness  and  truth."  Exodus 
xxxiv,  6. 


METHODIST    1IYMN0L0GY.  31*7 

Hymn  259.  iv  Rejoice,  the  Lord  is  King."— C.  Wesley. 

"  For  our  Lord's  Resurrection."  The  burden  of  this 
hymn  is  probably  taken  from  Lamentations  iii,  41 : 
"  Let  us  lift  up  our  heart  with  our  hands  unto  God  in 
the  heavens." 

Hymn  260.  "  O  tell  me  no  more  Of  this  world's  vain  store." 

Gambold. 

One  stanza  omitted ;  but  it  does  not  deserve  a  place 
with  the  rest  of  the  verses,  which  have  been  rendered 
precious  to  many  hearts  by  frequent  profitable  use,  and 
early  religious  reminiscences. 

Hymn  261.  "  My  God,  the  spring  of  all  my  joys."— TFaMs. 

"  God's  Presence  is  Light  in  Darkness."  There  are 
a  few  verbal  alterations  in  this  hymn  as  it  appears  in 
our  Hymn-book,  the  most  material  of  which  occur  in 
the  third  line  of  verse  3,  written  by  Watts  thus, — 

"  While  Jesus  shows  his  heart  is  mine ;" 
and  last  line  of  verse  4, — 

"  J"  embrace  my  dearest  Lord." 

"  This  hymn,"  says  Milner,  "  is  almost  without  '  spot 
or  blemish,'  if  we  except  the  last  line  of  the  fourth 
verse,  which  has  certainly  been  amended  by  Wesley. 
For  felicity  of  expression,  strength  and  tenderness  of 
feeling,  and  beautiful  pictorial  truth,  it  has  never  been 
surpassed  ;  it  is  a  sublime  communion  wTith  the  Deity, 
made  visible  to  the  eye  of  faith,  and  brought  near  with 
the  cords  of  love,  giving  birth  to  a  majestic  burst  of 
impassioned  and  irrepressible  joy  and  triumph."  An 
able  critic,  in  the  Wesleyan  Methodist  Magazine,  says 
of  this  hymn,  that,  in  his  opinion,  it  is  the  very  best  of 


318  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Watts's  hymns — the  most  deeply  imbued  with  the 
true  and  powerful  spirit  of  such  productions.  It 
breathes  the  intense  earnestness,  the  passionate  and 
kindling  fervor,  of  Wesley  himself.  It  is  an  almost 
agonistic  effusion  of  irrepressible  joy  and  triumphant 
faith." 

It  may  not  be  out  of  place  here  to  remark,  that 
Milner,  in  his  Life  of  Watts,  forgetting  that  Watts 
wrote  his  hymn  hefore  Gray  was  born,  says,  the  "  senti- 
ment" of  the  following  verse, 

"  The  op'ning  heavens  around  me  shine 
With  beams  of  sacred  bliss, 
If  Jesus  shows  his  mercy  mine. 
And  whispers  I  am  his," 

owes  its  origin  to  the  "  beautiful  idea  "  contained  in  the 
concluding  line  of  the  following  stanza  of  Gray's  "  Frag- 
ment on  Vicissitude,"  having  been  "  seized  upon  by  the 
hymnist,  and  skillfully  introduced  in  the  third  verse  of 
the  hymn :" — 

"  See  the  wretch  that  long  has  toss'd 

On  the  thorny  bed  of  pain, 
At  length  repair  his  vigor  lost, 

And  breathe  and  walk  again ; 
The  meanest  flow'ret  of  the  vale, 
The  simplest  note  that  swells  the  gale, 
The  common  sun,  the  air,  the  skies, 
2b  him  are  open  in  paradise.'" 

Hence  Gray  took  his  idea  from  Watts,  and  not  Watts 
from  Gray,  as  stated  by  Milner ;  or  else  it  is  merely 
an  unconscious  coincidence  of  thought ;  which  coinci- 
dence, we  will  also  remark,  was  first  noticed  by  Mr. 
Montgomery  in  the  fine  introductory  essay  to  his  "  Chris- 
tian Psalmist." 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  319 

Hymn  262.  "  I'll  praise  my  Maker  while  I  've  breath." — Walts. 

"  Praise  to  God  for  his  Goodness  and  Truth."  Psalm 
cxlvi.    Six  stanzas  ;  the  second  and  fifth  excluded.    The 
author  wrote  the  first  line  of  verse  3  thus, — 
"  The  Lord  hath  eyes  to  (five  the  blind.'' 

The  judicious  alteration  in  the  Hymn-book  was  made 
by  John  Wesley ;  but  while  the  thought  belongs  legi- 
timately to  the  Psalmist,  must  not  the  felicitous  ex- 
pression of  it  be  attributed  to  Pope,  in  the  "  Messiah  ?" 

" All  ye  blind,  behold  ! 

He  from  thick  films  shall  purge  the  visual  ray, 
And  on  the  sightless  eye-ball  pour  the  day." 

Hymn  263.  "Let  every  tongue  thy  goodness  speak." — Watts. 

"  Mercy  to  Sufferers ;  or,  God  hearing  Prayer." 
Psalm  cxlv,  14-21.  Seven  stanzas;  the  third  and 
sixth  omitted. 

Hymn  264.  "  Praise  ye  the  Lord,  'tis  good  to  raise." — Watts. 

"  The  Divine  Nature,  Providence,  and  Grace."  Psalm 
cxlvii.  Eight  stanzas  ;  the  second  and  fourth  rejected. 
The  author  wrote  the  last  line,  verse  5,  "Allaretoo  mean," 
&c,  not  "  Are  all,"  as  in  the  Hymn-book.  It  is  an 
answer  to  a  series  of  interrogatories  propounded  in  the 
preceding  lines  of  the  stanza,  and  the  sense  requires 
that  the  line  should  be  read  as  originally  written. 

Hymn  265.  "  Glory  be  to  God  on  high."— C.  Wesley. 

"  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  and  on  earth  peace, 
good-will  toward  men."  Luke  ii,  14. 

Hymn  266.  "  Before  Jehovah's  awful  throne." — Watts. 

"Praise  to  our  Creator."  Psalm  c.  The  first  and 
fourth  stanzas  omitted ;  the  former  runs  thus, — 


320  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

"  Sing  to  the  Lord  with  cheerful  voice, 
Let  every  land  his  name  adore ; 
The  British  isles  shall  send  the  noise 
Across  the  ocean  to  the  shore." 

The  second  stanza,  which  forms  the  first  in  the  Hymn- 
book,  opens  thus, — 

"  Nations  attend  before  his  throne 
With  solemn  fear,  with  sacred  joy." 

This  noble  hymn,  which  has  become  a  universal  favor- 
ite, is  the  breathing  of  a  soul  thoroughly  imbued  with 
the  spirit  of  the  Scriptures.  Every  line  of  the  hymn 
is  an  embodiment  of  some  truth  contained  in  the  sacred 
volume. 

Hymn  267.  "  Salvation!  O  the  joyful  sound  V— Watts. 

"  Salvation."  Neither  the  third  verse,  nor  the  cho- 
rus, of  this  hymn,  as  it  stands  in  the  Hymn-book,  was 
written  by  Watts  ;  but  the  following  stanza,  the  second, 
was: — 

"  Buried  in  sorrow  and  in  sin, 
At  hell's  dark  door  we  lay ; 
But  we  arise  by  grace  divine 
To  see  a  heavenly  day." 

Hymn  268.  "From  all  that  dwell  below  the  skies." — Watts. 

"  Praise  to  God  from  all  Nations."  Psa.  cxvii.  The 
second  double  stanza  is  not  Watts's. 

This  hymn  is  a  fine  companion  for  266.  It  is  a  soul- 
stirring  appeal  to  the  people  of  every  land  to  sing  the 
Creator's  praise,  and  the  Redeemer's  name.  Men  are 
exhorted  to  take  up  the  lofty  theme,  and  proclaim  the 
great  salvation  until  the  world  shall  be  filled  with  loud- 
est praise. 


METHODIST    I1YMXOLOGY.  321 

Hymn  269.  "Come,  let  us  join  our  cheerful  songs." — Watts. 

"Christ  Jesus,  the  Lamb  of  God,  worshiped  by  all 
the  Creation."  Rev.  v,  11-13.  One  stanza,  the  fourth, 
excluded  :  it  is  not  worth  retaining.  This  is  a  very 
cheerful  and  spirited  poem,  and  a  general  favorite 
among  true  Christians.  It  represents  the  whole  intelli- 
gent creation  as  united  in  the  delightful  work  of  prais- 
ing the  Lamb  of  God,  the  Saviour  of  sinners. 

Hymn  270.  "  The  God  of  Abr'am  praise." 

Hymn  660.  "  Though  nature's  strength  decay." — Olivers. 

It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  this  sublime  hymn 
has  been  divided  in  the  Hymn-book,  and  that  all  its 
parts  are  not  placed  together.  Although  in  conception 
and  execution  one  of  the  most  magnificent  compositions 
in  the  collection,  its  superior  merits  are  by  most  readers 
neither  seen  nor  appreciated.  James  Montgomery  says 
of  this  hymn,  "  There  is  not  in  our  language  a  lyric  of 
more  majestic  style,  more  elevated  thought,  or  more 
glorious  imagery  :  its  structure,  indeed,  is  unattractive  ; 
and,  on  account  of  the  short  lines,  occasionally  uncouth  ; 
but,  like  a  stately  pile  of  architecture,  severe  and  simple 
in  design,  it  strikes  less  on  the  first  view  than  after  deli- 
berate  examination  ;  when  its  proportions  become  more 
graceful,  its  dimensions  expand,  and  the  mind  itself 
grows  greater  in  contemplating  it." — Christian  Psalmist. 

It  was  originally  published  in  a  pamphlet  of  eight 
j  is,  a  copy  of  which  is  before  the  writer  :  the  title 
runs  thus :  "  An  Hymn  to  the  God  of  Abraham.  In 
Three  Parts.  Adapted  to  a  celebrated  Air  sung  by  the 
Priest  Signior  Leoni,  etc.,  at  the  Jews'  Synagogue,  in 
London.  By  Thomas  Olivers.  Tin-  twelfth  edition. 
/  am  the  God  of  Abraham.  Exod.  iii,  G.  He  is  thy 
14* 


322  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGT. 

God.  Deut.  x,  21.  TJien  the  Levites  said,  Stand  up 
and  praise  the  Lord  your  God  for  ever  and  ever.  Neh. 
ix,  5.  /  will  sing  praises  unto  my  God  while  I  have  my 
heing.  Psa.  cxlvi,  2.     London:  1782." 

To  this  copy  there  are  appended  foot-notes  referring 
to  the  passages  of  Scripture  illustrated  in  the  hymn, 
amounting  to  no  less  than  sixty.  And  to  the  following 
line  in  verse  3,  third  part, 

"  And  '  holy,  holy,  holy.'  cry," 
there  is  a  note,  saying,  "  Sing  the  following  parts  of  this 
verse  slow  and  solemn." 

Hymn  271.  "  My  Saviour,  my  almighty  Friend." — Watts. 

"  Christ,  our  Strength  and  Righteousness."  Psalm 
lxxi,  14,  &c.  Three  stanzas,  4,  5,  and  6,  rejected.  The 
author  wrote  the  second  verse  thus, — 

"  Thou  art  my  everlasting  trust, 
Thy  goodness  I  adore ; 
And  since  I  knew  thy  graces  first, 
I  speak  thy  glories  more." 

Hymn  272.  '•'  This,  this  is  the  God  we  adore." — Hart. 

This  double  stanza  is  the  last  one  of  a  hymn  contain- 
ing seven,  founded  on  Deut.  xiii,  1,  &c,  "  If  there  arise 
among  you  a  prophet,  or  a  dreamer  of  dreams,"  com- 
mencing, 

"  No  prophet,  nor  dreamer  of  dreams, 
No  master  of  plausible  speech,"  &c. 

The  last  two  lines  of  the  hymn,  as  it  stands  in  the 
Hymn-book,  are  finely  illustrative  of  a  Christian's  confi- 
dence in  God, — 

"  We'll  praise  Him  for  all  that  is  past, 
And  trust  him  for  all  that's  to  come." 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGT.  323 

Hymn  273.  "  0  thou  God  of  my  salvation." 

We  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain  the  authorship  of 
this  hymn.  It  is  found  in  the  "  Pocket  Hymn-book," 
published  by  Bishops  Coke  and  Asbury,  the  twenty- 
first  edition  of  which  was  issued  in  1*797. 

Hymn  274.  "How  happy  every  child  of  grace." — C.  Wesley. 

A  Funeral  Hymn.  Mr.  John  Wesley  considered  this 
one  of  his  brother's  finest  compositions  ;  only  a  part  of 
which,  however,  has  been  transferred  to  the  Hymn- 
book,  embracing  verses  1,  7,  and  8.  The  omitted  stan- 
zas are  as  follow  : — 

"  A  stranger  in  the  world  below, 

I  calmly  sojourn  here  ; 
Nor  can  its  happiness  or  woe 

Provoke  my  hope  or  fear  ; 
Its  evils  in  a  moment  end, 

But,  0  !  the  bliss  to  which  I  tend 
Eternally  shall  last. 

"  To  that  Jerusalem  above 

With  singing  I  repair; 
"While  in  the  flesh,  my  hope  and  love, 

My  heart  and  soul,  are  there  : 
There  my  exalted  Saviour  stands, 

My  merciful  High  Priest, 
And  still  extends  his  Mounded  hands 

To  take  me  to  his  breast. 

'•  What  is  there  here  to  court  my  stay, 

Or  hold  mc  back  from  home, 
While  angels  beckon  me  away, 

And  Jesns  bids  me  come  '. 
Shall  I  regret  my  parted  friends, 

Still  in  the  vale  confined  ? 
Nay.  bul  whene'er  my  soul  ascends, 

They  v>ill  not  stay  behind. 


324  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

"  The  race  we  all  are  running  now  ; 

And  if  I  first  attain, 
They  too  their  willing  head  shall  bow, 

They  too  the  prize  shall  gain. 
Now  on  the  brink  of  death  we  stand : 

And  if  I  pass  before, 
They  all  shall  soon  escape  to  land, 

And  hail  me  on  the  shore. 

"  Then  let  me  suddenly  remove, 
That  hidden  life  to  share ; 

I  shall  not  lose  my  friends  above, 
But  more  enjoy  them  there. 

There  we  in  Jesus'  praise  shall  join, 
His  boundless  love  proclaim, 

And  solemnize  in  songs  divine 


A  most  encouraging  hymn  is  this  to  the  Christian 
believer.  It  tells  him,  in  language  that  touches  his 
heart,  that  this  earth  is  not  his  abiding  place,  but  that 
his  home  is  in  heaven.  His  eye  of  faith  is  directed  to 
a  "  country  far  from  mortal  sight,"  and  with  that  eye, 
quickened  by  the  inspiration  of  the  song,  he  sees  the 
"  land  of  rest,  the  saints'  delight,"  and  feels  that  it  is  "  a 
heaven  prepared  for  him."  The  reader  is  led  on  through 
the  rich  vision  of  the  poet,  almost  realizing  at  every 
advance,  in  the  stirring  lines,  the  ecstasy  of  delight  in 
which  his  senses  must  have  been  enwrapped  when  his 
mind  was  bending  in  its  rush  of  burning  thought.  The 
climax  of  the  last  stanza  in  the  Hymn-book  is  exqui- 
sitely wrought.  It  represents  a  soul  in  its  union  with 
the  body,  rilled  with  the  fullness  of  God  and  heaven, 
and  ready  to  break  from  its  prison-house  of  flesh,  and 
fly  to  the  glorious  home  of  its  anticipated  joy.  And 
the  so\d  thus  full  of  heaven  is  said  to  want  but  a  little 


METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY.  325 

more  of  that  which  fills  it,  to  break  the  vessel  in  which 
it  is  contained,  that  it  may  go  to  grasp  the  God  it 
seeks.  And  having  gained  the  heaven  for  which  it 
hoped  and  longed,  the  ransomed  spirit  finds  sufficient 
employment  in  gazing  with  rapturous  awe  upon  Him 
through  whom  the  blessing  was  obtained,  and  in  shout- 
ing and  wondering  at  his  grace  through  all  eternity. 

Hymn  275.  "  Head  of  the  church  triumphant."—  C.  Wesley. 

Last  of  "  Hymns  for  Times  of  Trouble,  for  the  year 
1*745  " — the  year  of  the  rebellion  in  Scotland. 

Hymn  276.  "  Almighty  Maker,  God."—  Watts. 

"  Sincere  Praise  :"  a  lyric  poem  of  eleven  stanzas  ; 
verses  2,  6,  7,  8,  and  9,  omitted.  There  are  a  few  verbal 
alterations,  which  do  not  affect  the  sense.  The  first 
omitted  verse  reads  thus, — 

"  Nature  in  every  dress 

Her  humble  homage  pays, 
And  finds  a  thousand  ways  t'  express 
Thine  undissembled  praise." 

Hymn  277.  ':  Rejoice  evermore  with  angels  above." — C.  Wesley. 
A  "  Redemption  Hymn." 

Hymn  278.  "  Ye  simple  souls  that  stray." — J.  Wesley. 

Written  after  a  riot.  There  has  been  some  con- 
troversy about  the  authorship  of  this  hymn.  Dr.  White- 
head says  it  was  written  by  Charles,  Mr.  Moore,  by 
John,  Wesley ;  and  further  remarks  : — "  It  has  been 
denied  that  Mr.  John  Wesley  was  the  author  of  this 
hymn.  I  must  still  think  that  he  was :  I  believe  I  was 
not  misinformed.  There  is,  I  think,  also  some  internal 
evidence.     The  hymn  has  the  purity,  strength,  and  so- 


326  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

briety,  of  both  the  brothers  ;  but  it  seems  to  want  the 
poetical  vis  animi  of  Charles."  In  reference,  however, 
to  the  occasion  on  which  the  hymn  was  composed,  both 
Mr.  Moore  and  Mr.  Burgess — who  differs  with  Mr. 
Moore  as  to  the  authorship — are  mistaken.  Mr.  Burgess 
says :  "  This  noble  hymn  is  partly  founded  on  the  sen- 
timents of  an  apocryphal  writer,  (Wisdom  of  Solomon, 
v,  3-5,)  and  was  composed  after  some  of  the  riots  that 
were  excited  at  Cork,  by  the  infamous  Butler  and  his 
mob,  in  1749."  The  fact  is,  the  hymn  was  published 
three  years  previous  to  the  time  here  given  as  the  date 
of  its  origin,  in  the  "Redemption  Hymns,"  the  first 
edition  of  which  was  issued  in  1746. 

Hymn  279.  "  Oft  I  in  my  heart  have  said."— C.  Wesley. 

"  But  the  righteousness  which  is  of  faith  speaketh 
on  this  wise,  Say  not  in  thy  heart,  Who  shall  ascend 
into  heaven  ?"  Bom.  x,  6,  &c.  The  latter  half  of  the 
hymn  omitted. 

Hymn  280.  "  Hark!  how  the  gospel  trumpet  sounds  !" — Medley. 

"  The  Mission  of  Christ,"  embracing  twelve  stanzas, 
of  which  our  hymn    comprises  the   fifth,    tenth,  ele- 
venth, and  twelfth,  and  every  stanza  altered.     As  a 
specimen  of  the  genuine  original,  take  the  first  verse  : — 
"  Hark,  how  the  gospel  trumpet  sounds, 
That  free  and  sovereign  grace  abounds ; 
That  Jesus,  by  his  precious  blood, 
Is  bringing  his  elect  to  God, 
And  guides  them  safely  on  the  road 
To  endless  day." 

Hymn  281.  "Hail !  thou  once  despised  Jesus." — Bakcwell. 

The  second  line,  verse  1,  should  read,  "Thou  Gali- 
lean King ;"  and  the  alteration  in  the  third  line  spoils 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  32*7 

both  the  antithesis  and  the  rhyme.    The  author  wrote 
the  line  thus, — 

"  Thou  didst  suffer  to  release  us." 
We  can  present  little  but  conjecture  as  to  the  author- 
ship of  this  hymn.  "  There  is  reason  to  believe,"  says 
Mr.  Burgess,  "  that  this  fine  hymn  was  composed  by 
the  venerable  John  Bakewell,  of  Greenwich.  He  wrote 
many  hymns  ;  and  in  his  own  family  circle  this  was 
always  regarded  as  one  of  the  number.  It  appeared 
in  one  edition  of  the  general  Hymn-book,  published 
many  years  ago  ;  but  was  afterward  omitted."  It  has 
since  been  introduced  into  the  Supplement  appended  to 
that  work. 

Hymn  282.  "  0  what  shall  I  do  my  Saviour  to  praise." 

C.  Wesley. 
To  be  used  as  "A  Thanksgiving"  hymn. 

Hymn  283.  "Into  thy  gracious  hands  I  fall."— J.  Wesley. 

A  translation  from  the  German  of  Dessler,  being 
the  latter  part  of  hymn  185. 

Hymn  284.  "  The  day  of  Christ,  the  day  of  God."—  C.  Wesley. 

"  That  ye  may  be  sincere,  and  without  offense,  till 
the  day  of  Christ."  Phil,  i,  10,  and  2  Pet.  iii,  12. 

Hymn  285.  "Lo!  God  is  here!  let  us  adore." — J.  Wesley. 

A  translation  from  the  German  of  Gerhard  Ters- 
teegen.  "A  hymn,"  says  Mr.  Love,  "that  I  should 
be  glad  to  hear  sung  at  the  opening  of  divine  service 
every  sabbath  morning.  I  can  never  read  that  hymn 
without  a  deep  feeling  of  adoration.  '  Lo !  God  is 
here  ! '  His  solemn  and  gracious  presence  is  felt  at 
once." 


328  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

8  Lo  !  God  is  here  !  let  us  adore, 

And  own  how  dreadful  is  this  place." 

"And  Jacob  awaked  out  of  his  sleep,  and  he  said, 
Surely  the  Lord  is  in  this  place.  And  he  was  afraid, 
and  said,  How  dreadful  is  this  place  !  this  is  none  other 
but  the  house  of  God,  and  this  is  the  gate  of  heaven." 
Gen.  xxviii,  16,  17. 

Hymn  286.  "  Young  men  and  maidens,  raise." — C.  Wesley. 

From  "  Hymns  for  Children."  "  Young  men  and 
maidens,  old  men  and  children,  let  them  praise  the 
name  of  the  Lord."  Psa.  cxlviii,  12,  13. 

Hymn  287.  "  And  can  it  be  that  I  should  gain." — C.  Wesley. 

This  hymn,  entitled  "Free  Grace,"  was  written  by 
the  author  in  1738,  on  the  subject  of  his  own  conver- 
sion; and  either  this,  or  hymn  197,  was  sung  on  the 
occasion  of  Mr.  John  Wesley  obtaining  the  same  great 
blessing.  "  Charles  was  not  present,"  says  Mr.  Jack- 
son, "  at  the  meeting  where  his  brother  entered  into 
the  glorious  liberty  of  the  sons  of  God.  He  was  con- 
fined to  his  room  in  Little-Britain,  and  had  spent  the 
whole  day  in  a  most  devout  and  pious  manner.  '  At 
eight  o'clock,'  says  he,  '  I  prayed  by  myself  for  love,  with 
some  feeling,  and  assurance  of  feeling  more.  Toward 
ten  ni}'  brother  was  brought  in  triumph  by  a  troop  of  our 
friends,  and  declared,  "  I  believe  ! "  We  sung  the  hymn 
with  great  joy,  and  parted  with  prayer.'  "  One  stanza, 
the  fifth,  has  been  omitted  : — 

"  Still  the  small  inward  voice  I  hear, 
That  whispers  all  my  sins  forgiven  ; 
Still  the  atoning  blood  is  near, 
That  quench'd  the  wrath  of  hostile  heaven ; 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  329 

I  feel  the  life  his  wounds  impart, 
I  feel  my  Saviour  in  my  heart." 

Hymn  288.  "Jesus,  take  all  the  glory-."—  C.  Wesley. 
A  "Thanksgiving"  hymn. 

Hymn  289.  ';  Jesus,  thy  blood  and  righteousness." — J.  Wesley. 

"  The  Believer's  Triumph  ;"  a  translation  from  the 
German  of  Count  Zinzendorf,  embracing  twenty-four 
stanzas.  Our  hymn  is  composed  of  verses  1,  2,  6,  1, 
and  8 ;  besides  these,  the  Wesleyan  collection  contains 
verses  12,  13,  21,  22,  and  24.    They  are  as  follow  : — 

"  When  from  the  dust  of  death  I  rise, 
To  claim  my  mansion  in  the  skies, 
Even  then, — this  shall  be  all  my  plea, 
Jesus  hath  lived,  hath  died  for  me. 

"  Thus  Abraham,  the  friend  of  God, 
Thus  all  heaven's  armies  bought  with  blood. 
Saviour  of  sinners  Thee  proclaim ; 
Sinners,  of  whom  the  chief  I  am. 

"  Jesus,  be  endless  praise  to  thee, 
Whose  boundless  mercy  hath  for  me, 
For  me,  and  all  thy  hands  have  made, 
An  everlasting  ransom  paid. 

"  Ah !  give  to  all  thy  servants,  Lord, 
With  power  to  speak  thy  gracious  word  ; 
That  all,  who  to  thy  wounds  will  flee, 
May  find  eternal  life  in  thee. 

"  Thou  God  of  power,  thou  God  of  love, 
Let  the  whole  world  thy  mercy  prove  ! 
Now  let  thy  word  o'er  all  prevail ; 
Now  take  the  spoils  of  death  and  hell." 

"  Mr.  Wesley's  translation,"  says  Mr.  Love,  "  is  worthy 
of  the  theme,  and  constitutes  one  of  the  finest  hymns 


330  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

in  the  collection.  Observe,  in  the  fifth  stanza,  what  a 
distinct  allusion  is  made  to  his  favorite  doctrine  of 
universal  redemption  ;  and  what  an  outburst  it  contains 
of  Christian  feeling  !  How  opposed  to  the  contracted 
doctrine  which  consigns  myriads  of  souls  to  perdition, 
because  for  them  Christ  never  died  ! " 

Hymn  290.  "  A  Fountain  of  life  and  of  grace." — C.  Wesley. 

"  Whosoever  will,  let  him  take  of  the  water  of  life 
freely."  Rev.  xxii,  17. 

Hymn  291.  "  What  am  I,  0  thou  glorious  Lord." — C.  Wesley. 
A  hymn  "  For  Believers." 

Hymn  292.  "Meet  and  right  it  is  to  sing." — C.  Wesley. 
"  For  the  Watchnight." 

Hymn  293.  "  Father,  in  whom  we  live." — C.  Wesley. 
"  To  the  Trinity." 

Hymn  294.  Jesus  is  our  common  Lord." — C.  Wesley. 

"  Receiving  a  Christian  Friend."     The  first  two  qua- 
trains omitted : — 

"  Welcome,  friend,  in  that  great  Name 
Whence  our  every  blessing  flows  ! 
Enter,  and  increase  the  flame 
Which  in  all  our  bosoms  glows. 

"  Sent  of  God,  we  thee  receive : 
Hail  the  providential  guest ! 
If  in  Jesus  we  believe, 
Let  us  on  thy  mercy  feast." 

The  author  wrote  the  fourth  line  of  verse  2  thus, — 
"  Till  vrejoin  the  host  above." 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  331 

Hymn  295.  "O  'tis  delight,  without  alloy." — Watts. 

A  lyric  poem,  entitled,  "  Ascending  to  Him  in  Hea- 
ven." The  doctor  wrote  the  first  line,  "  'Tis  pure 
delight,"  &c. 

Hymn  296.  "  The  wisdom  own'd  by  all  thy  sons." — C.  Wesley. 

"  The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom, 
and  the  knowledge  of  the  holy  ones  is  understanding." 
Prov.  ix,  10. 

Hymn  297.  "  God  of  Israel's  faithful  three."—  C.  Wesley. 

"The  Three  Children  in  the  Fiery  Furnace." 
Dan.  iii.     The  second  double  stanza  excluded  : — 

"  Lo  !  on  dangers,  deaths,  and  snares, 

I  every  moment  tread, 
Hell  without  a  veil  appears, 

And  flames  around  my  head  ; 
Sin  increases  more  and  more, 

Sin  in  all  its  strength  returns, 
Seven  times  hotter  than  before 

The  fiery  furnace  bums." 

Hymn  298.  "  The  spacious  firmament  on  high." — Addison. 

Psalm  xix,  1-4.  "  Aristotle  says,  that  should  a  man 
live  under  ground,  and  there  converse  with  works  of 
art  and  mechanism,  and  should  afterward  be  brought 
up  into  the  open  day,  and  see  the  several  glories  of 
the  heaven  and  earth,  he  would  immediately  pronounce 
them  the  works  of  such  a  Being  as  we  define  God  to 
be.  The  Psalmist  has  very  beautiful  strokes  of  poetry 
to  this  purpose  in  that  exalted  strain,  'The  heavens 
declare  the  glory  of  God ;  and  the  firmament  showeth 
his  handiwork.  One  day  telleth  another ;  and  one 
night  certitieth  another.     There  is  neither  speech  nor 


332  METHODIST    I1VMNOLOGY. 

language ;  but  their  voices  are  heard  among  them. 
Their  sound  is  gone  out  into  all  lands ;  and  their  words 
into  the  ends  of  the  world.'  As  such  a  bold  and 
sublime  manner  of  thinking  furnishes  very  noble  matter 
for  an  ode,  the  reader  may  sec  it  wrought  into  the  fol- 
low ing  one : — 

1  The  spacious  firmament  on  high,' "  &c  * 

This,  perhaps,  is  the  most  admired  hymn  of  the  five 
by  Addison. 

Hymn  299.  "Jesus  comes  with  all  his  grace." — C.  Wesley. 

'-  For  those  that  wait  for  Full  Redemption :"  eleven 
stanzas  ;  the  fifth,  sixth,  and  seventh,  omitted. 

Hymn  300.  "  O  Jesus,  full  of  truth  and  grace." — C.  Wesley. 

"  Waiting  for  the  Promise  :"  six  verses  omitted  ;  the 
second,  third,  fourth,  seventh,  ninth,  and  tenth,  which 
last  forms  the  fifth  verse  in  the  Wesleyan  collection, 
and  reads  thus, — 

"  Though  nature  give  my  God  the  lie, 
I  all  his  grace  and  truth  shall  know; 
I  shall,  the  helpless  creature  I, 
Shall  perfect  holiness  below." 

Hymn  301.  "  Come,  Saviour,  Jesus,  from  above." —  J.  Wesley. 

A  translation  from  the  French,  entitled,  "  Renouncing 
all  for  Christ,"  containing  ten  stanzas.  Those  excluded 
are  the  fifth,  seventh,  eighth,  ninth:  the  seventh  and 
eighth  have  been  inserted  in  the  English  Hymn-book, 
and  are  as  follow  : — 

"  Wealth,  honor,  pleasure,  and  what  else, 
This  short-enduring  world  can  give, 

*  Sec  -  Tk  Spectator"  No.  465. 


METHODIST    HI  MNOLOGY.  H33 

Tempi  .is  ye  will,  my  smil  repels, 
To  Chrisl  alone  resolved  to  live. 

'•  Thee  I  can  love,  and  thee  alone, 

With  pure  delight  and  inward  Miss i 

To  Know  limn  tak'sl  me  for  thine  own, 
(  >  w  hat  a  happiness  is  this  !" 

ll\M\  S02.  "The  thingmy  God  doth  hate." —  C.  Wesley. 

•-  o  do  qoI  Miis  abominable  thing  that]  hate,"  Jer. 
xliv,  I.  "  I  will  utile  my  l.i w  in  their  hearts."  Jer. 
\wi,  88.  Verse  I  is  founded  upon  the  former,  and  2 
nnd  3,  upon  the  latter,  passage  of  Scripture.  There  is  a 
very  striking  thoughl  in  the  third  verse, — 

"  Sou/  of  my  SOul,  remain  ; 

Whodid'st  lor  all  fulfill, 
Iii  me,  1 1  Lord,  fulfill  again 
Thy  heavenly  Father's  will." 

Christ  may,  indeed,  be  regarded  as  the  soul  <»f  the 
believer1 8  soul ;  for  the  believer  has  Christ  in  him,  Christ 
dwelling  in  his  heart  by  faith;  and  the  life  he  now 
lives  is  by  faith  in  theSonofGod.  "Christ  and  the 
true  believer  become,  as  it  were,  identified  ;  for  he  that 
■is  joined  to  the  Lord,  is  one  spirit.  As  our  mortal  bo- 
dies, therefore,  are  animated,  guided,  and  governed,  by 
the  immaterial  and  immortal  principle  residing  within, 
so  in  the  believer,  that  inward  principle  is  animated, 
guided,  and  governed,  by  the  indwelling  Saviour ;  ii  is, 
bo  to  speak,  Christ  who  thinks,  and  feels,  and  acts,  in 
him."  The  Bame  fine  thoughl  may  be  found  in  Sir 
Richard  Blackmore's  Ode  to  the  Divine  Beino : — 

Bless'd  ohjecl  of  my  love  intense, 

I  thee  my  joy,  my  fcrea  ore  caU 
My  portion,  my  reward  immense, 

Send  of  my  soul,  my  life,  my  nil." 


334  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  303.  "  0  for  a  heart  to  praise  my  God." — C.  Wesley. 

"Make  me  a  clean  heart,  0  God."  Psalm  li,  10. 
"  Here  is,  undoubtedly,"  says  Mr.  Fletcher,  "  an  evan- 
gelical prayer  for  the  love  which  restores  the  soul  to  a 
state  of  sinless  rest  and  evangelical  perfection."  Verse  7 
is  scarcely  more  than  a  poetical  version  of  Rev.  ii,  17 : 
"  To  him  that  overcometh  I  will  give  to  eat  of  the 
hidden  manna,  and  will  give  him  a  white  stone,  and  in 
the  stone  a  new  name  written." 

"  Fruit  of  thy  gracious  lips,  on  me 
Bestow  that  peace  unknown  ; 
The  hidden  manna,  and  the  tree 
Of  life,  and  the  white  stone." 

Hymn  304.  "  Thou  hidden  Love  of  God,  whose  height." 

J.  Wesley. 

A  translation  from  the  German  of  Gerhard  Ters- 
teegen,  entitled,  "  Divine  Love."  Mr.  Wesley,  in  his 
"  Plain  Account  of  Christian  Perfection,"  tells  us  he 
wrote  this  hymn  while  at  Savannah,  Georgia,  in  the 
year  IT 3 6,  and  quotes  the  following  lines,  of  verse  4,  to 
show  what  his  religious  sentiments  and  feelings  then 
were, — 

"  Is  there  a  thing  beneath  the  sun 

That  strives  with  thee  my  heart  to  share  ? 
Ah!  tear  it  thence,  and  reign  alone, 
The  Lord  of  every  motion  there  !" 

Dr.  Southey,  in  his  Life  of  Wesley,  connects  these 
lines  with  a  subject  of  quite  a  different  character, 
namely,  the  love  affair  in  which  Mr.  Wesley  was  in- 
volved when  in  this  country,  and  thinks  they  were  pro- 
bably written  on  that  occasion. 

This  hymn,  remarks  the  author  of  "  Records  of  Wes- 


METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY.  335 

leyan  Life,"  is  the  pious  contemplation  of  a  soul  seeking 
"  for  full  redemption,"  and  every  verse  exhibits  a  deep 
self-acquaintance,  professes  a  total  self-renunciation,  or 
breathes  an  ardent  desire  after  holiness  of  heart.  When 
Mr.  Wesley  made  his  translation  he  omitted  two  stanzas, 
4  and  5,  of  the  original  German,  which  are  supplied  in 
a  version  of  the  hymn  appended  to  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Jackson's  translated  Life  of  the  German  author,  Ter- 
steegen.     They  are  here  annexed : — 

"  My  own  endeavors  are  in  vain ; 

From  self-attempts  Love  turns  away ; 
A  gaze,  too  ardent,  gives  her  pain  * 

And  will  not  suffer  her  to  stay. 
Mine  eyes  against  each  object  close, 
And  bring  me,  Love,  to  thy  repose. 

"  What  is  there  more  that  hinders  me 
From  ent'ring  on  thy  promised  rest- 
Abiding  there  substantially, 

And  being  permanently  bless'd  ? 
O  Love,  my  inmost  soul  expose, 
And  every  hind'rance  now  disclose." 

Hymn  305.  "For  ever  here  my  rest  shall  be." — C.  Wesley. 

"Christ  our  Righteousness."  First  two  quatrains 
omitted.  Verse  3  is  a  paraphrase  of  the  subjoined  text : — 

"  Wash  me,  but  not  my  feet  alone, 
My  hands,  my  head,  my  heart." 

"  And  Peter  said  to  him,  Lord,  dost  thou  wash  my 
feet  ?  Thou  shalt  never  wash  my  feet.  Jesus  answer- 
ed him,  If  I  wash  thee  not  thou  hast  no  part  with  me. 
Simon  Peter  saith  unto  him,  Lord,  not  my  feet  only,  but 
my  hands  and  my  head."  John  xiii,  G-9. 

*  Solomon's  Song  vi,  5. 


336  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  306.  "  Jesus,  my  life,  thyself  apply." — C.  Wesley. 
"  Christ  our  Sanctification."     Last  stanza  rejected. 

Hymn  307.  "  Holy  Lamh,  who  thee  receives." — J.  Wesley. 
A  translation  from  the  German  of  Schindler. 

Hymn  308.  "  Jesus,  thou  art  our  King." — C.  Wesley. 

"  Hymn  to  Christ  our  King."  Here,  and  in  hymn 
307,  we  are  taught  to  contemplate  the  Lord  Jesus  as 
sustaining  the  regal  office,  and  to  plead  with  him  for 
the  full  establishment  of  his  kingdom  in  the  hearts  of 
his  followers,  and  the  entire  control  and  subjugation  of 
all  his  enemies,  among  which  are  enumerated  hell  and 
death. 

Hymn  309.  "Lord,  I  believe  thy  every  word." — C.  Wesley. 

"They  that  wait  on  the  Lord  shall  renew  their 
strength."  Isaiah  xl,  31.  Fourteen  stanzas:  our  hymn 
being  composed  of  the  first,  second,  third,  fourth,  ninth, 
and  fourteenth.  Of  the  excluded  stanzas,  10,  11,  12, 
and  13,  have  been  inserted  in  the  Wesleyan  collection, 
and  are  as  follow : — 

:{ Faith  to  be  heal'd  Thou  know'st  I  have, 
From  sin  to  be  made  clean : 
Able  thou  art  from  sin  to  save, 
From  all  indwelling  sin. 

"  Surely  thou  canst,  I  do  not  doubt, 
Thou  wilt,  thyself  impart ; 
The  bond-woman's  base  son  cast  out, 
And  take  up  all  my  heart. 

"  I  shall  my  ancient  strength  renew : 
The  excellence  divine 
(If  thou  art  good,  if  thou  art  true) 
"  Throughout  my  so  nl  shall  shine. 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  337 

"  I  shall,  a  weak  and  helpless  worm, 
Through  Jesus  strengthening  me, 
Impossibilities  perform, 

And  live  from  sinning  free." 

"  The  Bond- woman's  Base  Son  cast  out :"  "  Where- 
fore she  said  unto  Abraham,  Cast  out  this  bond-woman 
and  her  son ;  for  the  son  of  this  bond-woman  shall  not 
be  here  with  my  son,  even  with  Isaac."  Gen.  xxj,  10; 
Gal.  iv,  30. 

Hymn  310.  "  Love  divine,  all  loves  excelling." — C.  Wesley. 

This,  says  Mr.  Burgess,  "  is  an  admirable  hymn  on 
the  value  and  importance  of  divine  love — that  love 
which  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  law,  the  sum  and  substance 
of  all  the  commandments  of  God.  And  here  in  our 
petitions  we  are  led  forward  delightfully  from  grace 
to  grace,  to  perfect  love,  to  full  salvation,  to  final 
glory." 

In  reference  to  the  expression  in  the  second  verse — 
Let  us  find  that  second  rest — Mr.  Fletcher  remarks, 
"Mr.  Wesley  says  second  rest,  because  an  imperfect 
believer  enjoys  a  first,  inferior  rest :  if  he  did  not,  he 
would  be  no  believer."  And  of  the  following  line — 
Take  away  the  power  of  sinning — the  same  excellent 
author  asks,  "Is  not  this  expression  too  strong? 
Would  it  not  be  better  to  soften  it  by  saying,  '  Take 
away  the  love  of  [or  the  bent  to]  sinning  ?'  Can  God 
take  away  from  us  our  power  of  sinning,  without  taking 
awTay  our  power  of  free  obedience  ?"  Perhaps  all  that 
the  poet  meant  is,  "  Take  away  all  the  remaining  cor- 
ruption and  depravity  of  our  hearts,  so  that  there  may 
be  nothing  within  that  is  likely  to  lead  us  into  sin."  It 
is  probably  because  of  that  line,  the  whole  verse  has 
15 


338  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

been  excluded  in  the  late  editions  of  the  Wesleyan 
Hymn-book. 

Hymn  311.  "  O  that  my  load  of  sin  were  gone  !" — C.  Wesley. 

"  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy 
laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest."  Matt,  xi,  28.  Four- 
teen stanzas;  our  hymn  being  composed  of  the  first, 
fourth,  fifth,  sixth,  eighth,  and  ninth.  In  the  English 
collection,  the  second  stanza  is  also  inserted : — 

"  When  shall  mine  eyes  behold  the  Lamb  ? 
The  God  of  my  salvation  see  ? 
Weary,  0  Lord,  thou  know'st  I  am ; 
Yet  still  I  cannot  come  to  thee." 

Hymn  312.  "Light  of  life,  seraphic  fire." — C.  Wesley. 

"  For  those  that  wait  for  Full  Redemption :"  three 
stanzas,  the  last  omitted. 

Hymn  313.  "  God  of  all-redeeming  grace." 

Hymn  314.  "  Let  Him  to  whom  we  now  belong." — C.  Wesley. 

"  On  the  Lord's  Supper." — "  Concerning  the  Sacri- 
fice of  our  Persons."  The  sentiments  of  these  two 
hymns  will  be  found  to  harmonize  beautifully  with  the 
following  passage  from  Dr.  Brevint's  "  Christian  Sacra- 
ment and  Sacrifice  :" — "  But  all  that  we  have  is  Christ's 
by  a  further  title,  because  we  have  given  them  with 
our  own  persons,  by  our  own  act  and  deed.  So  that 
all  which  we  are,  which  we  can  give,  even  to  the  least 
vessel  in  our  houses,  is  made  holy  in  this  one  conse- 
cration." 

Hymn  315.  "Behold  the  servant  of  the  Lord  !" — C.  Wesley. 

This  excellent  and  truly  devout  hymn  is  entitled, 
'.*  An  Act  of  Devotion,"  and  was  originally  published 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  339 

by  Mr.  John  Wesley,  at  the  end  of  the  first  part  of  his 
"  Further  Appeal  to  Men  of  Reason  and  Religion," 
which  is  dated  December  22,  1744;  but  that  the 
authorship  is  correctly  given  to  his  brother  Charles,  is 
certified  by  the  fact  of  the  hymn  being  found  in  the 
first  volume  of  his  "  Hymns  and  Sacred  Poems,"  pub- 
lished in  1749.  Thus  we  see  how  intimately  these  two 
remarkable  men  were  united  in  their  literary,  as  well  as 
ministerial,  efforts  to  promote  the  spread  of  vital  Chris- 
tianity ;  there  being  many  other  instances  which  could 
be  cited  of  a  similar  character. 

Hymn  316.  "Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost."—  C.  Wesley. 

Verses  2,  3,  4,  and  5,  of  this  hymn,  beautifully  express 
the  language  of  a  believer  saved  fully  from  his  sins,  and 
devoted  wholly  to  the  service  of  Christ.  No  other  can 
adopt  the  sentiments  of  those  lines  as  his  own  ;  but 

';  Happy  beyond  description  he  " 
who  can  thus,  in  truth,  appropriate  them. 


Hymn  317.  "Jesus,  my  Truth,  my  Way." — C. 

"  For  Believers."  Four  quatrains,  or  two  double 
stanzas,  3  and  4,  omitted  ;  neither  is  worth  preserving. 

Hymn  318.  "  My  God,  I  know,  I  feel  thee  mine." — C.  Wesley. 

"Against  Hope,  believing  in  Hope."  Bom.  iv,  18. 
Twelve  stanzas,  the  three  composing  hymn  359  being 
part  of  the  same  poem  ;  one  stanza  rejected. 

Hymn  319.  "  What  now  is  my  object  and  aim  ?" — C.  Wesley. 

"And  now,  Lord,  what  is  my  hope?"  Psalm 
xxxix,  8.  "  My  soul  is  athirst  for  God,  yea,  even  for 
the  living  God."  Psalm  xlii,  2. 


340  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  320.  "  Ever  fainting  with  desire." — C.  Wesley. 

"  A  Prayer  for  Holiness."  Ten  verses ;  the  third, 
fourth,  fifth,  and  sixth,  omitted.  The  fourth  reads 
thus, — 

"  Gifts,  alas,  cannot  suffice, 
And  comforts  all  are  vain, 
While  one  evil  thought  can  rise, 

I  am  not  born  again : 
Still  I  am  not  as  my  Lord, 

Thy  holy  will  I  do  not  prove: 
Help  me,  Saviour ;  speak  the  word, 
And  perfect  me  in  love." 

Hymn  321.  "Jesus,  thy  boundless  love  to  me." — J.  Wesley. 

A  translation  from  the  German  of  Paul  Gerhard, 
entitled,  "  Living  by  Christ,"  comprising  sixteen  stan- 
zas.    Of  those  omitted,  take  one  as  a  specimen  : — 

"  What  in  Thy  love  possess  I  not  ? 

My  star  by  night,  my  sun  by  day, 
My  spring  of  life  when  parch'd  by  drought. 

My  wine  to  cheer,  my  bread  to  stay, 
My  strength,  my  shield,  my  safe  abode, 
My  robe  before  the  throne  of  God." 

Hymn  322.  "  Saviour  of  the  sin-sick  soul." — C.  Wesley. 

"  For  those  that  wait  for  Full  Redemption."  The 
former  half  of  the  hymn  excluded  ;  ours  commencing 
with  the  third  double  stanza. 

The  repetition  of  part  of  the  foregoing  in  every 
second  line  of  verses  3  and  4  is  no  less  a  beauty  than 
a  peculiarity  in  the  structure  of  Charles  Wesley's 
poetry;  and  the  antithesis  in  the  first  two  fines  of 
verse  3,  and  in  the  last  two  of  verse  4,  taken  in  con- 
nection with  the  reiteration  of  words,  renders  these  two 
stanzas  among  the   most   remarkable   of   any  in  the 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  341 

volume,  both  for  singularity  of  expression  and  sublim- 
ity of  sentiment.     Hence  they  must  be  inserted  here : — 

"  Nothing  less  will  I  require, 
Nothing  more  can  I  desire  : 
None  hut  Christ  to  me  be  given ; 
None  but  Christ  in  earth  or  heaven. 

"  O  that  I  might  now  decrease ! 

0  that  all  I  am  might  cease ! 
Let  me  into  nothing  fall ! 
Let  my  Lord  be  all  in  all !" 

Hymn  323.  "  Lord,  I  believe  a  rest  remains." — C.  Wesley. 

"  There  remaineth,  therefore,  a  rest  for  the  people 
of  God."  Heb.  iv,  9.  Seventeen  stanzas  ;  the  rejected 
ones  are  3,  9,  and  12. 

Hymn  324.  "  0  joyful  sound  of  gospel  grace." — C.  Wesley. 

"  The  Spirit  and  the  bride  say,  Come  !"  Rev.  xxii, 
17.  Twenty-two  stanzas:  of  those  omitted  from  our 
book,  the  two  following,  forming  the  second  and  ninth, 
have  been  inserted  in  the  Wesleyan  collection,  one  of 
which,  the  latter,  may  be  found  in  the  old  Hymn-books 
used  among  us  previous  to  the  present  book  : — 

"  This  heart  shall  be  his  constant  home ; 

1  hear  his  Spirit's  cry : 

'  Surely,'  he  saith,  '  I  qiuckly  come ;' 
He  saith,  who  cannot  lie. 

"  Fulfill,  fulfill  my  large  desires, 
Large  as  infinity ; 
Give,  give  me  all  my  soul  requires, 
All,  all  that  is  in  thee !" 

These  stanzas  are  inferior  to  the  rest  of  the  hymn,  and 
are  not  inserted  here  with  any  hope  that  they  may 


342  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

ever  be  introduced  into  the  Hymn-book  ;  but  because 
they  make  part  of  the  hymn  in  the  general  collection 
of  the  Wesley  an  Church.  The  former,  however,  is  not 
without  merit,  and  contains  a  child-like  expression  of 
simple,  unwavering  faith,  in  the  God  of  truth.  Verse  6 : 
"  Spring  up,  0  Well,  I  ever  cry." 
"  Then  Israel  sang  this  song,  Spring  up,  0  well,"  &c. 
Num.  xxi,  17. 

Hymn  325.  "  Jesus  hath  died  that  I  might  live." —  C.  Wesley. 

The  last  five  of  thirteen  stanzas  founded  upon  Acts 
xvi,  31 :  "Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou 
shalt  be  saved." 

Hymn  326.  "  Now,  e'en  now,  I  yield,  I  yield." — C.  Wesley. 

"When  shall  it  once  be?"  Jer.  xiii,  27.  "Is  not 
my  word  like  a  fire?"  Jer.  xxiii,  29.  Verse  1  foimded 
upon  the  former,  and  2,  upon  the  latter,  text. 

Hymn  327.  "  Come,  thou  omniscient  Son  of  man." — C.  Wesley. 

Eight  stanzas,  entitled,  "  For  any  who  think  they 
have  already  attained."  The  author  wrote  the  last  line 
of  the  hymn  thus, — 

"  And  perfectly  like  thee." 
The  omitted  stanzas  are  the  third,  fifth,  and  sixth  ;  the 
last  two  are  as  follow  : — 

"  We  would  not  of  ourselves  conceive 
Above  what  Thou  hast  done ; 
But  still  to  thee  the  matter  leave, 
Till  thou  shalt  make  it  known. 

"  We  would  not,  Lord,  ourselves  conceal, 
But  walk  in  open  day  ; 
We  pray  thee,  all  our  sin  reveal, 
And  purge  it  all  away." 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGV.  343 

The  poet  has  varied  the  grammatical  form  of  the  third 
verse  in  the  Hymn-book,  the  person  being  changed 
from  the  plural  to  the  singular,  which,  we  think,  gives 
peculiar  force  to  the  sentiment  expressed  in  the  last 
two  lines ;  the  whole  verse  being  one  of  great  excel- 
lence : — 

"  Look  through  us  with  thine  eyes  of  flame, 
The  clouds  and  darkness  chase  ; 
And  tell  me  what  by  sin  I  am, 
And  what  I  am  by  grace." 

Hymn  328.  "  Saviour  from  sin,  I  wait  to  prove." — C.  Wesley. 

The  last  part,  excluding  the  third  verse,  of  a  poem, 
in  four  parts,  entitled,  "  Groaning  for  Redemption." 
Hymn  600  is  a  portion  of  the  same  poem. 

Hymn  329.  "  An  inward  baptism  of  pure  fire." — C.  Wesley. 

Eight  stanzas,  founded  upon  Luke  xii,  50  :  "I  have  a 
baptism  to  be  baptized  with  :  and  how  am  I  straitened 
till  it  be  accomplished  !"    Verses  4  and  8  omitted. 

Hymn  330.  "Father,  I  dare  believe." — C.  Wesley. 

Verses  1  and  2  are  founded  on  Psalm  exxx,  8  :  "He 
shall  redeem  Israel  from  all  his  sins;"  and  3  and  4,  on 
Jer.  iv,  14,  "  O  Jerusalem,  wash  thine  heart,"  <fec. 

Hymn  331.  "0  glorious  hope  of  perfect  love!" — C.  Wesley. 

The  conclusion  of  a  long  poem,  of  which  hymns  69 
and  *70  constitute  a  part,  entitled,  "  Desiring  to  Love." 

Hymn  332.  "I  know  that  my  Redeemer  lives." — C.  Wesley. 

Twenty-three  stanzas,  entitled,  "  Rejoicing  in  Hope." 
Our  hymn  comprises  verses  1,  2,  10,  15-17,  19-21. 
There  are  some  sublime  sentiments  in  verses  6  and  8, 


344  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn-book.     Of   those  omitted,   one   stanza  is  here 
given  as  a  specimen : — 

"  When  Thou  dost  in  my  heart  appear, 
And  love  erects  its  throne, 
I  then  enjoy  salvation  here, 
And  heaven  on  earth  begun." 

Hymn  333.  "  Heavenly  Father,  sovereign  Lord." — C.  Wesley. 

A  spirited  paraphrase  of  the  thirty-fifth  chapter  of 
Isaiah. 

Hymn  334.  "  Loving  Jesus,  gentle  Lamb." — C.  Wesley. 

The  two  stanzas  composing  this  hymn  are  the  last 
of  fourteen,  under  the  head,  "  Hymns  for  Children." 

Hymn  335.  "  0  Jesus,  Source  of  calm  repose." — J.  Wesley. 

A  translation  from  the  German.  This  hymn  throws 
much  light  on  the  subject  of  Christian  perfection  ;  but 
contains  a  petition  in  verse  5,  which  perhaps  needs 
some  qualification : — 

"  No  anger  may'st  thou  ever  find, 
No  pride  in  my  unruffled  mind." 

The  same  sentiment  is  also  found  in   other   hymns : 
thus,  in  hymn  596, — 

"  Anger  I  no  more  shall  fed." 
These  expressions,  says  Mr.  Burgess,  "  must  be  under- 
stood as  referring  only  to  sinful  anger,  and  not  as  con 
demning,  in  an  absolute  and  unqualified  way,  all  angei 
whatsoever.  For  it  is  a  divine  precept,  Be  ye  angry, 
and  sin  not ;  and  we  are  taught  that  our  Redeemer, 
who  knew  no  sin,  did,  on  one  occasion  at  least,  mani- 
fest anger ;  for  he  looked  round  about  on  them  with  anger, 
being  grieved  for  the  hardness  of  their  Jiearts.     Hence 


METHODIST   HYMXOLOGY.  345 

we  infer  tli.it  there  may  be  anger  wholly  unconnected 
with  sin  ;  anger,  involving  nothing  contrary  to  holiness  ; 
anger  thoroughly  consistent  with  supreme  love  to  God 
and  universal  benevolence  to  man.  That  which  Scrip- 
ture condemns,  and  from  which  we  should  pray  to  be 
fully  delivered,  is  that  kind  of  anger  which  is  violent 
and  excessive,  unreasonable  and  uncalled-for  ;  that  kind 
of  anger  which  is  connected  with  malice,  and  under  the 
influence  of  which,  men  desire  and  endeavor  to  inflict 
injury  on  those  who  have  provoked  them." 

Hymn  336.  "Jesus,  the  Life,  the  Truth,  the  Way."—  C.  Wesley. 
"  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth,  as  it  is  in  heaven." 
Twelve  stanzas,  those  composing  our  hymn  being  the 
first  four:  of  the  remainder,  verses  6,  7,  11,  and  12, 
have  been  inserted  in  the  Wesleyan  collection,  and  are 
as  follow : — 

"  When  Thou  the  work  of  faith  hast  wrought, 
I  shall  be  pure  within, 
Nor  sin  in  deed,  or  word,  or  thought ; 
For  angels  never  sin. 

"  From  thee  no  more  shall  I  depart, 
No  more  unfaithful  prove  : 
But  love  thee  with  a  constant  heart ; 
For  angels  always  love. 

"  1  all  thy  holy  will  shall  prove  : 
I,  a  weak,  sinful  worm, 
When  thee  with  all  my  heart  I  love, 
Snail  all  thy  law  perform. 

"  The  graces  of  my  second  birth 
To  me  shall  all  he  given  ; 
And  I  shall  do  thy  will  on  earth, 
As  angels  do  in  heaven." 


346  METHODIST    KYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  337.  "  Come,  Lord,  and  claim  me  for  thine  own." 

C.  Wesley. 

"  The  Lord  said  unto  my  Lord,  Sit  thou  at  my  right 
hand,  until  I  make  thine  enemies  thy  footstool."  Psalm 
ex,  1 .  Fifteen  stanzas :  our  hymn  commences  at  the 
seventh,  and  includes  verses  8,  9,  12,  14,  and  15.  The 
author  wrote  the  first  stanza  in  our  book  thus, — 

"  Come,  Lord,  and  claim  me  for  thine  own, 
Saviour,  thy  right  assert ! 
Come,  gracious  Lord,  set  up  thy  throne, 
And  reign  within  my  heart." 

And  the  last  two  lines  of  verse  4  thus, — 

"  My  heart  no  longer  gives  the  lie 
To  my  deceitful  prayer." 

The  lines  substituted  for  these  in  the  Hymn-book 
were  written  by  Mr.  John  Wesley,  but  the  alteration 
in  the  first  verse  w^as  not  made  by  him. 

Hymn  338.  "  What !  never  speak  one  evil  -word !" — C.  Wesley. 

Verses  1  and  2  are  founded  on  James  iii,  2,  "  If 
any  man  offend  not  in  word,  the  same  is  a  perfect  man ;" 
3  and  4,  on  Psalm  ciii,  3,  "  Who  forgiveth  all  thine 
iniquities,  who  healeth  all  thy  diseases." 


Hymn  339.  "  0  Jesus,  let  thy  dying  cry." — C. 

"  Jesus  cried !"  Matt,  xxvii,  46.  "  I  will  give  you 
a  heart  of  flesh."  Ezek.  xxxvi,  26.  Verses  1  and  2  are 
an  expansion  of  the  former  text ;  and  3  and  4,  of  the 
latter. 

Hymn  340.  "  God  of  eternal  truth  and  grace." — C.  Wesley. 
Verses    1    and    2    are    founded    on  Micah   vii,  20, 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  347 

"  Thou  wilt  perform  the  truth  to  Jacob,  and  the  mercy 
to  Abraham,  which  thou  hast  sworn  unto  our  fathers 
from  the  days  of  old ;"  3  and  4,  on  Matt,  xv,  28,  "  O 
woman,  great  is  thy  faith, — be  it  unto  thee  even  as  thou 
wilt ;"  5  and  6,  on  Mark  ix,  23,  "  All  things  are  possi- 
ble to  him  that  belie  veth." 

Hymn  341.  "  God  of  all  power,  and  truth,  and  grace." — C.  Wesley. 
"  Pleading  the  Promise  of  Sanctification."  Ezek.  xxxv, 
25,  &c.  Tiventij -eight  stanzas,  the  whole  of  which  may 
be  found  at  the  end  of  Mr.  Wesley's  fortieth  sermon, 
the  subject  of  which  is,  "  Christian  Perfection."  This 
excellent  hymn  was  a  great  favorite  with  both  Mr. 
Wesley  and  Mr.  Fletcher,  who  made  good  use  of  it  in 
their  controversies  with  the  opponents  of  the  Scripture 
doctrine  of  sanctification.  Mr.  Fletcher  frequently 
quoted  its  stanzas,  so  richly  laden  with  gospel  truth  and 
Christian  experience.  In  his  "Last  Check  to  Antino- 
mianism,"  speaking  of  his  opponent's  opposition  to 
Christian  perfection,  he  says,  it  doubtless  "  chiefly 
springs  from  his  inattention  to  our  definition  of  it,  which 
I  once  more  sum  up  in  these  comprehensive  lines  of 
Mr.  Wesley: — 

'  0  let  me  gain  perfection's  height ! 
< )  let  me  into  nothing  fall ! 
As  less  than  nothing  in  thy  sight, 
And  feel  that  Christ  is  all  in  all !' " 

Hymn  342.  "  Since  the  Son  hath  made  me  free." — C.  Wesley. 

A  dilatation  of  John  xvi,  24  :  "  Ask,  and  ye  shall  re- 
ceive, that  your  joy  may  be  full."  Twelve  stanzas; 
our  hymn  being  composed  of  verses  0,  8,  9,  11, 
and  12. 


348  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  343.  "  0  Jesus!  at  thy  feet  we  wait." — C  Wesley. 

"  For  those  that  wait  for  Full  Redemption."  Four 
stanzas  omitted. 

Hymn  344.  "  What  is  our  calling's  glorious  hope." — C.  Wesley. 

The  last  six  of  fourteen  stanzas,  founded  on  Titus  ii, 
14  :  "  Who  gave  himself  for  us,  that  he  might  redeem 
us  from  all  iniquity."     Ver.  2  : — ■ 

"  I  wait  till  he  shall  touch  me  clean." 

"  And  behold,  there  came  a  leper,  and  worshiped  him, 
saying,  Lord,  if  thou  wilt,  thou  canst  make  me  clean. 
And  Jesus  put  fortli  his  hand  and  touched  him,  saying, 
I  will;  be  thou  clean."  Matt,  viii,  2,  3. 

Hymn  345.  "  None  is  like  Jeshurun's  God." — C.  Wesley. 

A  paraphrase  and  enlargement  of  the  last  four  verses 
of  the  thirty-third  chapter  of  Deuteronomy :  "  There  is 
none  like  unto  the  God  of  Jeshurun,  who  rideth  upon 
the  heaven  in  thy  help,  and  in  his  excellency  on  the 
sky,"  &c.     The  last  three  stanzas  excluded. 

Hyjin  346.  "  He  wills  that  I  should  holy  be."— C.  Wesley. 

"  This  is  the  will  of  God,  even  your  sanctification." 
1  Thess.  iv,  3.  "  The  Lord  will  circumcise  thine  heart, 
and  the  heart  of  thy  seed,  to  love  the  Lord  thy  God 
with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul."  Deut.  xxx,  6. 
Verses  1  and  2  are  founded  upon  the  former,  and  3  and 
4,  upon  the  latter,  text. 

Hymn  347.  "Jesus,  thy  loving  Spirit  alone." — C.  Wesley. 

Verses  1  and  2  are  foimded  on  Psalm  cxliii,  10, 
"  Let  thy  loving  Spirit  lead  me  forth  into  the  land  of 


METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY.  349 

righteousness;"  3  and  4,  on  Matt,  xiv,  3G,  "As  many 
as  touched  were  made  perfectly  whole." 

Hymn  34S.  "Jesus,  my  Lord,  I  cry  to  thee." — C.  Wesley. 

Verses  1  and  2  are  founded  on  Mark,  ix,  25,  "I 
charge  thee,  come  out  of  him,  and  enter  no  more  into 
him ;"  3  and  4,  on  Deut.  xxxii,  30,  "I  kill,  and  I  make 
alive  ;"  5  and  6,  on  Isa.  xxvii,  3,  "  I  will  water  it  every 
moment." 

Hymn  349.  "  Thou  God  that  answercst  hy  fire." — C.  Wesley. 

"  The  fire  of  the  Lord  fell  and  consumed  the  burnt 
sacrifice,  and  the  wood,  and  the  stones,  and  the  dust, 
and  licked  up  the  water."  "  The  Lord,  he  is  the  God  : 
the  Lord,  he  is  the  God."  1  Kings  xviii,  38,  39.    Verses 

1  and  4  are  founded  on  the  former,  and  5  and  6,  on  the 
latter,  passage. 

Hymn  350.  "  Come,  0  my  God,  the  promise  seal." — C.  Wesley. 
"What  things  soever  ye  desire,  when  ye  pray,  be- 
lieve that  ye  receive  them,  and  ye  shall  have  them." 
Mark  xi,  24. 

Hymn  351.  "  Quicken'd  with  our  immortal  Head." — C.  Wesley. 

"  God  hath  not  given  us  the  spirit  of  fear,  but  of 
power,  and  of  love,  and  of  a  sound  mind  [Gr.  sobriety."] 

2  Tim.  i,  7. 

Hymn  352.  "  When,  my  Saviour,  shall  I  be." — C.  Wesley. 

The  four  verses  composing  this  hymn  are  the  first 
and  last  of  five  double  stanzas,  entitled,  "  Submission." 

Hymn  353.  "Jesus,  in  whom  the  Godhead's  rays." — C.  Wesley. 
"  He  shall  save  his  people  from  their  sins."  Matt. 


350  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

i,  21.  The  last  two  lines  of  verse  4  were  written  by 
Mr.  J.  Wesley.  Two  stanzas,  the  second  and  sixth, 
omitted : — 

"  Wrathful,  impure,  and  proud,  I  am, 
Nor  constancy,  nor  strength,  I  have ; 
But  thou,  0  Lord,  art  still  the  same, 
And  hast  not  lost  thy  power  to  save." 

"  Pour  hut  thy  hlood  upon  the  flame, 
Meek,  and  dispassionate,  and  mild, 
The  leopard  sinks  into  a  lamb, 
And  I  become  a  little  child." 

The  Leopard  sinks  into  a  Lamb.  "  The  leopard  shall 
lie  down  with  the  kid."  Isa.  xi,  6. 

Hymn  354.  "  Jesus,  to  thee  my  heart  I  bow." — J.  Wesley. 

A  translation  from  the  German,  entitled,  "  Subjection 
to  Christ." 

Hymn  355.  "  If  now  I  have  acceptance  found." — C.  Wesley. 

Six  stanzas,  7-12,  of  a  poem  containing  fourteen,  en- 
titled, "After  a  Recovery  from  Sickness."  The  first 
stanza  reads  thus, — 

"  Thy  will  be  done,  thy  name  be  blest ! 
I  am  not,  gracious  Lord,  my  own ; 
Whate'er  thy  wisdom  sends  is  best, 

Thy  name  be  praised,  thy  will  be  done." 

Hymn  356.  "  0  come  and  dwell  in  me." — C.  Wesley, 

Verses  1  and  2  are  founded  on  2  Cor.  hi,  17, 
"  Where  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is,  there  is  liberty ;" 
3,  on  v,  17,  "  Old  things  are  passed  away;  behold,  all 
things  are  become  new ;"  4  and  5,  on  Heb.  xi,  5, 
"  Before  his  translation  he  had  this  testimony,  that  he 
pleased  God."  The  author  wrote  the  first  two  lines 
of  verse  2  thus, — 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  351 

"  The  seed  of  sins  disease, 
Spirit  of  health,  remove." 

Hymn  357.  "  Come,  0  Thou  greater  than  our  heart." — C.  Wesley. 
Hymns  357,  438,  464,  are  parts  two,  three,  and  four, 
of  a  poem  in  four  parts,  entitled,  "He  that  believeth 
shall  not  make  haste."  Isa.  xxviii,  16.  From  hymn 
357  four  verses,  2,  3,  6,  and  7,  have  been  excluded. 

Hymn  358.  "  But  can  it  be  that  I  should  prove." — C.  Wesley. 

"  In  Temptation ;"  one  stanza,  the  third,  omitted. 
It  reads  thus, — 

"  No  more  shall  sin  its  sway  maintain, 
No  longer  in  my  members  reign, 

Or  captivate  my  heart ; 
Upheld  by  Thy  victorious  grace, 
1  walk  henceforth  in  all  thy  ways, 
And  never  will  depart." 

Hymn  359.  "  When  shall  I  see  the  welcome  hour." — C.  Wesley. 
"  Against  Hope,  believing  in  Hope."     Part  of  hymn 
318. 

Hymn  360.  "  Fountain  of  life  and  all  my  joy." — C.  Wesley. 

This  is  composed  of  stanzas  4,  7,  8,  10,  of  a  poem 
containing  ten,  entitled,  "On  his  Birthday."  The 
ninth  stanza  reads  thus, — 

"  Born  from  above,  I  soon  shall  praise 
Thy  goodness  with  a  thankful  tongue, 
Record  the  victory  of  thy  grace, 

And  teach  a  list'ning  world  the  song ; 
While  many,  whom  to  thee  I  turn, 
Shall  bless  the  day  that  I  was  born." 
Verse  2, — 

"  Though  in  my  flesh  I  feel  the  thorn." 

"  There  was  given  me  a  thorn  in  the  flesh,  the  mes- 
senger of  Satan,  to  buffet  me."  2  Cor.  xii,  7. 


352  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  361.  u  Come,  Holy  Ghost,  all-quick'ning  fire."—  C.  Wesley. 
"  To  God  the  Sanctifier."     The  author  wrote  the  fifth 
line  of  verse  4  thus, — 

"  Hate,  envy,  jealousy,  be  gone ;" 

and  so  the  sense  of  the  petition  requires  it  to  read. 
Verses  3  and  4  beautifully  inculcate  the  doctrine  of  the 
"  sanctification  of  the  affections,"  involving  the  extinc- 
tion of  all  evil  passions. 

Hymn  362.  "  Father  of  Jesus  Christ  my  Lord."— C.  Wesley. 

"  Therefore  it  is  of  faith,  that  it  might  be  by  grace ; 
to  the  end  the  promise  might  be  sure  to  all  the  seed ; 
not  to  that  only  which  is  of  the  law,  but  to  that  also 
which  is  of  the  faith  of  Abraham,  who  is  the  father  of 
us  all,"  &c.  Rom.  iv,  16-22.  Nine  stanzas  omitted, 
namely,  4,  6,  10-12,  16-19.  This  hymn  is  in  C.  Wes- 
ley's most  impassioned  manner,  especially  verses  7-9. 

Hymn  363.  "  Deepen  the  wounds  thy  hands  have  made." 

C.  Wesley. 

"I  wound,  and  I  heal."  Dent  xxxii,  39.  "I  have 
seen  an  end  of  all  perfection.  The  exceeding  broad 
commandment."  [iM.]  Psalm  cxix,  96.  Verses  1  and 
2  are  founded  on  the  former,  3  and  4  on  the  latter, 
text. 

Hymn  364.  "  Give  me  the  enlarged  desire." —  C.  Wesley. 

"  Open  thy  mouth  wide,  and  I  will  fill  it."  Psalm 
lxxxi,  10.  This  hymn,  says  a  writer  in  the  Wesleyan 
Magazine,  inculcates  the  doctrine  of  the  "  sanctification 
of  the  understanding." 

Mr.  Benson,  in  his  Life  of  that  holy  man,  Mr.  Fletcher 
— upon  whom  Dr.  Southey  has  pronounced  the  following 


METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY.  353 

eulogy  :  u  A  man  of  rare  talents,  and  rarer  virtue  :  no 
age  or  country  has  ever  produced  a  man  of  more  fer- 
vent piety,  or  more  perfect  charity  ;  no  church  has  ever 
possessed  a  more  apostolic  minister  " — has  an  allusion 
to  the  stanza  which  composes  this  hymn,  which,  Ave 
hope,  will  not  be  considered  out  of  place  here.  Mr. 
Fletcher  was,  at  the  time  referred  to,  president,  and 
Mr.  Benson  head  master,  of  Lady  Huntingdon's  College 
at  Trevecka,  for  the  education  of  young  men  for  the 
ministry.  Speaking  of  Mr.  F.'s  devotional  habits,  Mr. 
Benson  exclaims,  "  My  heart  kindles  while  I  write. 
Here  it  was  that  I  saw,  shall  I  say,  an  angel  in  human 
flesh?  I  should  not  far  exceed  the  truth  if  I  said 
so.  .  .  .  After  speaking  awhile  in  the  school-room,  he 
used  frequently  to  say,  '  As  many  of  you  as  are  athirst 
for  this  fullness  of  the  Spirit,  follow  me  into  my  room.' 
On  this,  many  of  us  have  instantly  followed  him,  and 
there  continued  for  two  or  three  hours,  wrestling  like 
Jacob  for  the  blessing,  praying  one  after  another  till 
wtc  could  bear  to  kneel  no  longer.  This  was  not  done 
once  or  twice,  but  many  times.  And  I  have  sometimes 
seen  him  on  these  occasions,  once  in  particular,  so  filled 
with  the  love  of  God,  that  he  could  contain  no  more, 
but  cried  out,  *  0  my  God,  withhold  thy  hand,  or  the 
vessel  will  burst.'  But  he  afterward  told  me  he  was 
afraid  he  had  grieved  the  Spirit  of  God ;  and  that  he 
ought  rather  to  have  prayed  that  the  Lord  would  have 
enlarged  the  vessel,  or  have  suffered  it  to  break,  that 
the  soul  might  have  had  no  further  bar  or  interruption 
to  its  enjoyment  of  the  Supreme  Good.  In  this  he  was 
certainly  right.  For,  as  Mr.  Wesley  has  observed, 
the  proper  prayer  on  such  an  occasion  would  have 
been, — 


354  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

'  Give  me  the  enlarged  desire, 

And  open,  Lord,  my  soul, 
Thy  own  fullness  to  require, 

And  comprehend  the  whole  ! 
Stretch  my  faith's  capacity 

Wider  and  yet  wider  still : 
Then  with  all  that  is  in  thee 

My  ravish'd  spirit  fill.' " 

Hymn  365.  "  Come,  Holy  Ghost,  all  quick'ning  fire."—  C.  Wesley. 

This  is  entitled  "To  the  Holy  Ghost,"  and  refers  to 
his  divine  operations  in  the  hearts  of  believers.  Is  there 
not  a  plethora  of  meaning  in  verse  4  ? 

"  My  peace,  my  life,  my  comfort,  Thou, 
My  treasure,  and  my  all  thou  art ! 
True  icitness  of  my  sonship  now, 

Engraving  pardon  on  my  heart ; 
Seal  of  my  sins  in  Christ  forgiven, 
Earnest  of  love,  and  pledge  of  heaven." 

Hymn  366.  "  Father  of  everlasting  grace." — C.  Wesley. 
First  of  "  Hymns  for  Whitsunday,"  containing   eight 
stanzas ;  second  to  fifth  omitted.     The  second  stanza 
reads  thus, — 

"  Thou  hast  the  prophecy  fulfill'd, 
The  grand  orig'nal  compact  seal'd, 

For  which  thy  word  and  oath  were  join'd  : 
The  promise  to  our  fallen  head, 
To  every  child  of  Adam,  made, 
Is  now  pour'd  out  on  all  mankind." 

Hymn  367.  "  I  want  the  Spirit  of  power  within." — C.  Wesley. 

"  Groaning  for  the  Spirit  of  Adoption."     The  first 
stanza  excluded. 

Hymn  368.  "  0  Love,  I  languish  at  thy  stay !" — C.  Wesley. 
"  Desiring  to  love."     This  fine  hymn  presents  to  our 


METHODIST    HYMNQLOGY.  355 

view,  says  Mr.  Burgess,  "  in  a  great  variety  of  figures 
and  images,  the  nature  and  the  blessedness  of  pure  and 
undefiled  religion.  Its  very  essence  is  love — the  love 
of  God  shed  abroad  in  our  heart  by  the  Holy  Ghost 
given  to  us ;  it  is  Christ  in  us,  the  hope  of  glory  ;  and 
he  who  secures  this  religion,  will  find  in  it  all  that  he 
needs,  for  body  and  for  soul,  for  time  and  for  eternity." 

Hymn  369.  "  0  great  mountain,  who  art  thou  ?"— C.  Wesley. 

"Who  art  thou,  0  great  mountain?  Before  Zerub- 
babel  thou  shalt  become  a  plain  :  and  he  shall  bring 
forth  the  head-stone  thereof  with  shoutings,  crying, 
Grace,  grace,  unto  it,"  &c.  Zech.  iv,  7-10.  First  two 
stanzas  omitted  from  the  second  part,  which  originally 
was  a  separate  hymn. 

Hymn  370.  "  Pris'ners  of  hope,  lift  up  your  heads." — C.  Wesley. 
"The  word  of  our  God  shall  stand  for  ever."  Isaiah 
xl,  8.  Five  stanzas,  namely,  third,  fourth,  sixth,  se- 
venth, and  ninth,  omitted ;  the  last  of  which  is  as 
follows  : — 

"  Faithful  and  true,  we  now  receive 
The  promise  ratified  by  thee  : 
To  Thee  the  ichen  and  how  we  leave, 

In  time  and  in  eternity ; 
We  only  hang  upon  thy  word, 
1  The  servant  shall  be  as  his  Lord.'  " 

Verse  5  contains  some  admirable  directions  to  earnest 
seekers  of  full  redemption,  and  urges  them  to  lay  hold 
on,  and  wrestle  ivith,  Christ  in  mighty  prayer,  until  they 
shall  prevail,  and  obtain  the  answer  to  their  petitions. 

Hymn  371.  "  Let  not  the  wise  their  wisdom  boast."— C.  Wesley. 
"  Let  not  the  wise  man  glory  in  his  wisdom,  neither 


356  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

let  the  mighty  man  glory  in  his  might,  let  not  the  rich 
man  glory  in  his  riches."  Jer.  ix,  23. 

Hymn  372.  "  Lord,  in  the  strength  of  grace." — C.  Wesley. 

"  Who  is  willing  to  consecrate  his  service  this  day 
unto  the  Lord  ?"  1  Chron.  xxix,  5. 

Hymn  373.  ::  0  God,  what  off 'ring  shall  I  give  ?"— /.  Wesley. 

A  translation  from  the  German,  entitled,  "  A  Morning 
Dedication  of  ourselves  to  Christ."  The  first  stanza, 
which  has  been  left  out  of  the  Hymn-boo1-;,  reads  thus, — 

"  Jesus,  thy  light  again  I  view. 
Again  thy  mercy's  heams  I  see, 
And  all  within  me  wakes  anew, 

To  pant  for  thy  immensity : 
Again  my  thoughts  to  thee  aspire, 
In  fervent  flames  of  strong  desire." 

This  is  a  composition  of  very  great  poetical  excellence 
and  merit.  To  persons  "professing  godliness,"  who 
are  fond  of  adorning  themselves  in  "  gold  and  costly 
apparel,"  verses  4  and  5  are  particularly  interesting 
and  applicable,  as  they  describe  a  still  more  costly 
dress,  even  the  robe  of  righteousness,  in  which  consists 
our  likeness  to  Christ — the  only  adorning  in  which  a 
Christian  should  glory, — 

"  Than  gold  and  pearls  more  precious  far, 
And  brighter  than  the  morning  star." 

Hymn  374.  "Father,  into  thy  hands  alone." — C.  Wesley. 

"  Concerning  the  Sacrifice  of  our  Persons."  The 
sentiments  of  this  hymn  are  in  unison  with  Dr.  Brevint, 
in  the  following  extracts  : — "  And  if  it  please  Thee  to 
use  the  power  thou  hast  over  dust  and  ashes,  over 
weak  flesh  and  blood,  over  a  brittle  vessel  of  clay,  over 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  357 

the  work  of  thine  own  hands ;  lo,  here  they  are,  to  suf- 
fer also  thy  good  pleasure."  "Hereafter  no  man  can 
take  away  anything  from  me  ;  no  life,  no  honor,  no 
estate  :  since  I  am  ready  to  lay  them  down,  as  soon  as 
I  perceive  thou  requirest  them  at  my  hands." — The 
Christian  Sacrament  and  Sacrifice. 

Hymn  375.  "  Father,  to  thee  my  soul  I  lift."— C.  Wesley. 

"It  is  God  which  worketh  in  you  both  to  will  and 
to  do."  Phil  ii,  13. 

Hymn  376.  "  Thou,  Jesus,  thou  my  breast  inspire." — C.  Wesley. 
The  last  two  of  nine  stanzas,  entitled,  "  For  a  Person 
called  forth  to  bear  his  Testimony."     The  hymn  in  the 
Wesleyan  collection,  commencing, 

"  Thy  power  and  saving  grace  to  show," 

is  composed  of  verses  5,  6,  and  7,  of  the  same  poem. 
Verse  1, — 

"  And  touch  my  lips  with  hallow'd  fire." 

"  Then  flew  one  of  the  seraphims  unto  me,  having  a 
live  coal  in  his  hand,  which  he  had  taken  with  the 
tongs  from  off  the  altar  :  and  he  laid  it  upon  my  mouth, 
and  said,  Lo,  this  hath  touched  thy  lips ;  and  thine 
iniquity  is  taken  away,  and  thy  sin  purged."  Isa.  vi,  6,  7. 

Hymn  377.  "  When  all  thy  mercies,  O  my  God." — Addison. 

The  subject  of  this  beautiful  hymn  is  Gratitude. 
Three  stanzas,  8,  9,  and  12,  have  been  omitted  from 
the  Hymn-book.     They  are  as  follow  : — 

"  When  worn  with  sickness,  oft  hast  Thou 
With  health  renew'd  my  face  ; 
And  when  in  sins  and  sorrows  sunk, 
Revived  my  soul  with  grace. 


358  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

"  Thy  bounteous  hand  with  worldly  bliss 
Has  made  my  cup  run  o'er, 
And  in  a  kind  and  faithful  friend 
Has  doubled  all  my  store. 

"  When  nature  fails,  and  day  and  night 
Divide  thy  works  no  more, 
My  ever  grateful  heart,  0  Lord, 
Thy  mercy  shall  adore." 

"  If  gratitude  is  due  from  man  to  man,"  says  the  au- 
thor of  this  hymn,  "  how  much  more  from  man  to  his 
Maker  ?  The  supreme  Being  does  not  only  confer  upon 
us  these  bounties  which  proceed  more  immediately  from 
his  hand,  but  even  those  benefits  which  are  conveyed 
to  us  by  others.  Every  blessing  we  enjoy,  by  what 
means  soever  it  may  be  derived  upon  us,  is  the  gift  of 
Him  who  is  the  great  Author  of  good,  and  Father  of 
mercies." — The  Spectator,  No.  453. 

Hymn  378.  "Vain,  delusive  world,  adieu!" — C.  Wesley. 

"  I  am  determined  not  to  know  anything  among  you 
save  Jesus  Christ  and  him  crucified."  1  Cor.  ii,  2. 
Four  stanzas,  3,  5,  C,  9,  excluded.  Stanza  6  reads 
thus, — 

"  What  though  earth  and  hell  engage 
To  shake  my  soul  with  fear, 
Calmly  I  defy  the  rage 
Of  persecution  near ; 
Surf 'ring  faith  shall  brighter  glow, 

As  gold  when  in  the  furnace  tried  : 
Only  Jesus  will  I  know, 
And  Jesus  crucified." 

Hymn  379.  "  With  joy  we  meditate  the  grace."—  Watts. 

"  Christ's  Compassion  to  the  Weak  and  Tempted." 
Heb.  iv,  15, 16  ;  v,  7  ;  Matt,  xii,  20.  The  second  stanza 
omitted. 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  359 

Hymn  380.  "  Jesus,  my  all,  to  heaven  is  gone." — Cennick. 

"  Following  Christ,  the  Sinner's  Way  to  God."     The 
author  wrote  the  last  line  of  verse  3  thus, — 

"  Because  I  could  not  cease  from  sin ;" 
line  second,  verse  4,  thus, — 

"  I  sinrfd  and  stumbled  but  the  more ;" 
and  verse  5,  as  follows, — 

"  Lo  !  glad  I  come,  and  thou,  dear  Lamh, 
Shall  take  me  to  thee  as  I  am  ; 
Nothing  but  sin  I  thee  can  give, 
Yet  help  me,  and  thy  praise  I  HI  live." 

Three  stanzas,  3,  4,  5,  rejected  from  the  Hymn-book, 
are  inserted  here  : — 

"  No  stranger  may  proceed  therein, 
No  lover  of  the  world  and  sin  ; 
No  lion,  no  devouring  care, 
No  rav'nous  tiger,  shall  be  there. 

"  No  :  nothing  may  go  up  thereon 
But  trav'ling  souls,  and  I  am  one  : 
Wayfaring  men,  to  Canaan  bound, 
Shall  only  in  the  way  be  found. 

"  Nor  fools,  by  carnal  men  esteem'd, 
Shall  err  therein ;  but  they,  redeem'd 
In  Jesus'  blood,  shall  show  their  right 
To  travel  there,  till  heaven's  in  sight." 

Hymn  381.  "  My  God,  my  portion,  and  my  love."— Wafts. 

"  God  my  only  Happiness."   Psa.  lxxiii,  25.     The 
poet  wrote  the  second  line  of  verse  8  thus, — 
"  And  grasp  in  all  the  store." 

Hymn  382.  "  Children  of  the  heavenly  King."— Cennick. 

"  The  Love-Feast,"  containing  twelve  stanzas  ;  the 


360  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

first,  second,  fourth,  seventh,  and  eighth  of  which,  com- 
pose our  hymn.  The  author  wrote  the  second  line  of 
verse  1  thus, — 

;t  As  ye  journey  sweetly  sing." 

Of  the  omitted  stanzas,  the  following  are  5  and  6  : — 

"  Shout,  ye  little  flock !  and,  blest, 
You  on  Jesus'  throne  shall  rest : 
There  your  seat  is  now  prepared, 
There  your  kingdom  and  reward. 

"  Lift  your  eyes,  you  sons  of  light, 
Zion's  city  is  in  eight ! 
There  our  endless  home  shall  be, 
There  our  Lord  we  soon  shall  see." 

Hymn  383.  "  How  do  thy  mercies  close  me  round!" — C.  Wesley. 
This  is  a  beautiful  evening  hymn,  entitled,  "  At  lying 
Down."     The  last  two  stanzas  excluded  : — 

"  Wherefore  in  confidence  I  close 
My  eyes,  for  thine  are  open  still ; 
My  spirit,  lull'd  in  calm  repose, 
Waits  for  the  counsels  of  thy  will. 

"  After  thy  likeness  let  me  rise, 

If  here  thou  will'st  my  longer  stay ; 
Or  close  in  mortal  sleep  mine  eyes, 
To  open  them  in  endless  day." 

The  sense  of  the  second  line  of  the  fourth  stanza  is 
almost  entirely  destroyed  by  the  improper  pointing.  It 
reads, 

"Jesus  protects  ;  my  fears  begone : 
What  can  the  Rock  of  ages  move !" 

as  though  a  question  were  asked  as  to  what  the  rock 
of  ages  had  the  power  of  moving.  The  exclamation 
point  at  the  end  of  the  line  is  favorable  to  this  applica- 
tion.   There  should  be  an   exclamation  point  after 


METHODIST   IIYMNOLOGY.  361 

What.  The  expression  is  one  of  surprise.  The  fears 
mentioned  in  the  first  line  had  troubled  the  subject, 
and,  aroused  to  a  sense  of  his  situation,  he  was  sur- 
prised that  he  should  have  suffered  his  confidence  to  be 
shaken.  Recovered  from  the  effects  of  his  fear,  he 
exclaims : — 

"  Jesus  protects ;  my  fears  begone ! 

What !  can  the  Rock  of  ages  move  V 

and,  as  if  the  answer  were  returned,  "  No ;  he  never 
can,"  the  subject  becomes  composed,  and  calmly  says, — 
"  Safe  in  thine  arms  I  lay  me  down, 
Thine  everlasting  arms  of  love." 

Hymn  384.  "  Commit  thou  all  thy  griefs." 

Hymn  385.  "  Give  to  the  winds  thy  fears." — J.  Wesley. 

These  two  hymns  are  parts  of  the  same  composition, 
entitled,  "  Trust  in  Providence  ;"  and  is  a  translation 
from  the  German  of  Paul  Gerhard.  The  sentiments 
of  these  hymns  are  admirable,  as  the  diction  is  appro- 
priate and  striking. 

Hymn  386.  "  God  of  my  life,  whose  gracious  power." — C.  Wesley. 
A  noble  hymn  of  fifteen  stanzas,  entitled,  "At  the 
Approach  of  Temptation."  Ours  is  composed  of  verses 
1,  2,  9,  11,  14,  15  ;  two  more,  5  and  6,  among  the 
very  best,  are  inserted  in  the  Wesleyan  collection : — 

"  Oft  hath  the  sea  confess'd  thy  power, 
And  given  me  back  at  thy  command ; 
It  could  not,  Lord,  my  life  devour, 
Safe  in  the  hollow  of  thy  hand. 

"  Oft  from  the  margin  of  the  grave 
Thou,  Lord,  hast  lifted  up  my  head ; 
Sudden  I  found  thee  near  to  save ; 
The  fever  oum'd  thy  touch,  and  fled!" 
16 


362  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

These  stanzas  are  not  more  interesting  on  account  of 
their  personal  allusions  to  remarkable  providences,  both 
on  land  and  on  sea,  in  the  life  of  the  poet,  than  for  the 
force  and  pathos  of  their  sentiments.  What  can  ex- 
ceed in  sublimity  the  last  of  the  above  lines  ?  It  is 
equaled  only  by  the  sweet  singer  of  Israel  himself : — 

"  The  sea  saw  it,  and  fled! 
Jordan  was  driven  back  !" — Psalm  cxiv,  3. 

The  last  line  of  the  second  stanza,  as  quoted  above,  is  a 
beautiful  allusion  to  the  healing  of  Peter's  wife's  mother  : 
"  And  when  Jesus  came  into  Peter's  house,  he  saw  his 
wife's  mother  laid,  and  sick  of  a  fever.  And  he  touch- 
ed her  hand  and  the  fever  left  her  :  and  she  arose  and 
ministered  unto  them."  Matt,  viii,  14,  15. 

Hymn  387.  "  Though  troubles  assail,  and  dangers  affright." 

Newton. 
This  beautiful  hymn,  although  composed  in  a  very 
gladsome  strain,  and  lively  meter,  is  founded  upon, 
perhaps,  the  most  painful  and  heart-affecting  incident 
recorded  in  the  Bible ;  that  of  Abraham  presenting  to 
God  his  son  Isaac  as  a  burnt-offering :  "  And  Isaac 
spake  unto  Abraham  his  father,  and  said,  My  father : 
and  he  said,  Here  am  I,  my  son.  And  he  said,  Behold 
the  fire  and  the  wood;  but  where  is  the  lamb  for 
the  burnt-offering  ?"  Then  follows  Abraham's  answer, 
which  constitutes  the  burden  of  the  hymn:  "And 
Abraham  said,  My  son,  God  will  provide."  Gen.  xxii, 
V,  8.  But  the  lively  measure  is  in  nowise  inconsistent 
with  the  strains,  which  affirm  reliance  upon  God  in 
every  trial,  with  the  assurance  that  he  is  all-sufficient, 
and  is  ever  at  hand  to  provide  for  the  wants  of  his  ser- 
vants.    The  sentiments  are  such  as  will  always  inspire 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  363 

the  Christian  heart  with  a  desire  cheerfully  to  submit 
to  the  will  of  its  heavenly  Guide. 

Hymn  388.  "  The  Lord  my  pasture  shall  prepare." — Addison. 

"  The  person  who  has  a  firm  trust  on  the  supreme 
Being  is  powerful  in  his  power,  wise  in  his  wisdom, 
happy  by  his  happiness.  He  reaps  the  benefit  of  every 
divine  attribute,  and  loses  his  own  insufficiency  in  the 
fullness  of  infinite  perfection.  To  make  our  fives  more 
easy  to  us,  we  are  commanded  to  put  our  trust  in  Him 
who  is  thus  able  to  relieve  and  succor  us ;  the  divine 
goodness  having  made  such  a  reliance  a  duty,  notwith- 
standing we  should  have  been  miserable  had  it  been 
forbidden  us." 

"  David  very  beautifully  represented  this  steady  re- 
liance on  God  Almighty  in  his  twenty-third  Psalm, 
which  is  a  kind  of  pastoral  hymn,  with  those  allusions 
which  are  usual  in  that  kind  of  writing.  As  the  poetry 
is  very  exquisite,  I  shall  present  my  reader  with  the 
following  translation  of  it : — 

1  The  Lord  my  pasture  shall  prepare,' "  &c.* 

Hymn  389.  "  God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way." — Cowper. 

The  paradoxical  title  to  this  hymn  is,  "  Light  shining 
out  of  Darkness ;"  but  it  is  in  keeping  both  with  the 
sentiments  of  the  hymn  and  the  occasion  of  its  com- 
position— the  eve  of  a  violent  attack  of  a  hypochon- 
driacal complaint,  to  which  the  poet  was  subject,  and 
which  deprived  him  of  the  use  of  his  intellect.  Mr. 
Montgomery  says,  this  "is  a  lyric  of  high  tone  and 
character,  and  rendered  awfully  interesting  by  the  cir- 

*  See  "  The  Spectator,"  No.  441. 


364  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

cumstances  under  which  it  was  written — in  the  twilight 
of  departing  reason." 

The  following  circumstances  connected  with  the 
composition  of  this  hymn,  though  not  related  by  any 
of  Cowper's  biographers  with  whom  we  are  acquaint- 
ed, are,  we  believe,  generally  held  to  be  authentic  in 
England.  When  under  the  influence  of  the  fits  of 
mental  derangement  to  which  we  have  alluded,  he  most 
unhappily,  but  firmly,  believed  that  it  was  the  divine 
will  that  he  should  drown  himself  in  a  particular  part 
of  the  river  Ouse.  Calling  one  evening  for  a  post- 
chaise,  he  ordered  the  driver  to  take  him  to  that  spot, 
which  he  readily  undertook  to  do,  as  he  well  knew 
it.  On  this  occasion,  however,  several  hours  were  con- 
sumed in  seeking  it,  and  utterly  in  vain.  The  man  was 
forced  to  admit  that  he  had  entirely  lost  his  road.  The 
snare  was  thus  broken,  Cowper  escaped  the  temptation, 
returned  to  his  home,  and  immediately  sat  down  and 
wrote  a  hymn  which  has  ministered  comfort  to  thou- 
sands, and  will  probably  do  so  for  generations  to  come. 

Mr.  Watson,  who  in  taste  and  talents  was  perhaps 
not  inferior  to  either  Cowper  or  Montgomery,  though 
not  a  poet  himself,  has  detected  a  spot  on  the  disc  of 
this  almost  perfect  poem.  "  Cowper's  fine  hymn  on 
Providence,"  he  remarks,  "  is  greatly  improved  by  omit- 
ting the  stanza : — 

'  His  purposes  will  ripen  fast. 

Unfolding  every  hour ; 
The  bud  may  have  a  bitter  taste, 
But  sweet  will  be  the  flower.' 

This  is  a  figure  not  only  not  found  in  sacred  inspired 
poetry,  but  which  has  too  much  prettiness  to  be  the 
vehicle  of  a  sublime  thought,  and  the  verse  has  more- 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  365 

over  the  fault  of  an  absurd  antithesis,  as  well  as  a 
false  rhyme." — Life  of  Wesley,  p.  277. 

A  literary  friend,  who  is  himself  a  poet,  has  furnish- 
ed us  with  the  following  observations  in  reference  to 
the  foregoing  criticism  : — 

"In  this  critique  Mr.  Watson  is  doubtless  a  little 
hypercritical,  as  is  proved  by  his  reference  to  the  false 
rhyme.  The  rhyme  is  not  sufficiently  false  to  be  con- 
demned in  a  just  criticism.  It  is  certainly  allowable  to> 
rhyme  taste  with  fast,  though  the  rhyme  is  not  by  any 
means  perfect.  Nor  does  the  absurdity  of  the  anti- 
thesis so  plainly  appear ;  at  least,  not  in  the  antithesis 
itself,  although  Mr.  Watson  may  have  imagined  great 
absurdity  in  tasting  a  bud  to  ascertain  its  bitterness. 
Truth,  however,  is  on  the  side  of  the  poet.  The  bud 
of  the  sweetest  flower  has  a  '  bitter  taste.'  The  com- 
parison of  the  unfolding  purposes  of  divine  Providence 
with  the  ripening  of  a  bud  into  the  flower,  and  the  sa- 
tisfactory change  produced,  is,  by  no  means,  so  far- 
fetched as  to  merit  condemnation.  The  poet  is 
describing  the  manner  of  God's  dealing  with  his  people,, 
allowing  the  clouds  of  temptation  and  adversity  some- 
times to  overshadow  them.  He  says  of  these  clouds 
that  they 

'  Are  big  with  mercies,  and  shall  break 
In  blessings  on  your  head ;' 

and  for  the  encouragement  of  the  afflicted  person  he 
tells  him  that 

'  Behind  a  frowning  providence 

He  [God]  hides  a  smiling  face.' 

His  idea  is,  that  God  has  a  purpose  in  every  trial  that 

he  permits  his  chosen  to  endure,  and  that  that  purpose 

is  the  improvement  and  happiness  of  the  tried.     The 


366  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

progress  of  the  trial  is  indicated  in  the  unfolding  pur- 
poses of  Providence,  and  the  end  of  it,  in  the  ripening 
of  the  bud  into  the  flower.  As  the  trial  progresses, 
and  the  purposes  are  unfolded  to  the  subject,  he  un- 
derstands the  use  for  which  they  were  designed,  and, 
knowing  that  he  shall  receive  benefit  in  the  end,  he  is 
satisfied.  The  trial  may  be  bitter,  but  the  end  of  it 
shall  be  sweet.  The  adversity  may  be  hard  to  bear, 
but  when  it  passes,  if  faithful  to  God  throughout  the 
affliction,  he  shall  enjoy  happiness  in  the  improvement 
he  shall  experience.  He  shall  possess  additional  plea- 
sure in  his  increased  confidence  in  God  : — 
'  The  bud  may  have  a  bitter  taste, 
But  sweet  will  be  the  flower.' 

If  there  is  a  blemish  in  the  stanza,  it  is  so  slight  that 
no  dignified  criticism  could  condemn  it  on  account 
of  it."     We  express  no  opinion. 

Hymn  390.  "Away,  my  unbelieving  fear!" — C.  Wesley. 

This  is  a  beautiful  versification  of  Bab.  hi,  1*7-19. 
"  While  the  poet  confines  himself  to  the  metes  and 
bounds  of  the  prophet,  he  is  strictly  orthodox,  as  in 
the  first  four  quatrains ;  but  when  he  begins  spiritual- 
izing, he  'leans  too  much'  toward  Calvinism,  the 
hymn  having  been  written  at  that  period  when  C. 
Wesley  was  not  sufficiently  guarded  on  that  subject. 
For  this  reason,  J.  Wesley  would  not  allow  the  hymn 
a  place  in  the  British  book  ;  and  for  the  same  reason, 
the  latter  moiety  has  been  omitted,  639,  new  book, 
(Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,)  leaving  a  perfect 
hymn.  In  the  celebrated  controversy  between  Mr. 
Hill  and  J.  Wesley,  the  former  quoted  the  part  now 
excluded,   (verses  3  and  4,)  to  fasten  Calvinism  upon 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  36V 

his  opponent,  who  dexterously  cast  the  onus  on  C. 
Wesley."*  Mr.  Fletcher,  after  attempting  to  apolo- 
gize for  the  verses  in  question,  remarks  :  "  Nevertheless, 
as  some  expressions  in  this  hymn  are  not  properly 
guarded,  the  pious  author  will  forgive  me,  if  I  tran- 
scribe a  part  of  a  letter  which  I  lately  received  from 
him :  *  I  was  once  on  the  brink  of  Antinomianism,  by 
unwarily  reading  Crisp  and  Saltmarsh.  Just  then, 
warm  in  my  first  love,  I  was  in  the  utmost  danger, 
when  Providence  threw  in  my  way  Baxter's  treatise, 
entitled,  "A  Hundred  Errors  of  Dr.  Crisp  demon- 
strated." My  brother  was  sooner  apprehensive  of 
the  dangerous  abuse  which  would  be  made  of  our  un- 
guarded hymns  and  expressions,  than  I  was.'  " — Fletch- 
ers Works,  vol.  i,  p.  185. 

Hymn  391.  "Peace,  troubled  soul,  thou  need'st  not  fear." 

"  Seek  ye  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  all  these  things 
shall  be  added."  Luke  xii,  31.  This  hymn  was  insert- 
ed in  the  "  Pocket  Hymn-book,"  published  by  Bishops 
Coke  and  Asbury.     Author  unknown. 

Hymn  392.  "  Come  on,  my  partners  in  distress." — C.Wesley. 

"  The  Trial  of  Faith."  "  Christ  also  suffered  for  us, 
leaving  us  an  example."  1  Peter  ii,  21.  The  third 
stanza  omitted.  Mr.  Montgomery  says  this  hymn 
"  anticipates  the  strains,  and  is  written  almost  in  the 
spirit,  of  the  church  triumphant." 

Hymn  393.  "Jesus,  great  Shepherd  of  the  sheep." — C.  Wesley. 
"For  Believers."    The  last  stanza  rejected. 

*  See  Southern  Methodist  Quarterly  Review,  vol.  ii,  p.  100. 


368  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  394.  "Master,  I  own  thy  lawful  claim." — C.  Wesley. 

"  And  he  said  unto  them  all,  If  any  man  will  come 
after  me,  let  him  deny  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross 
daily,  and  follow  me."  Luke  ix,  23.  Eleven  stanzas, 
of  which  1,  2,  3,  10,  and  11,  compose  our  hymn. 
Verse  4  reads  thus, — 

"  Reason,  blind  leader  of  the  blind, 
No  more  my  sinking  soul  shall  stay, 

The  wisdom  of  the  carnal  mind — 
That  broken  reed — I  cast  away ; 

And  stand  by  trusting  in  Thy  might, 

And  follow  thy  unerring  light " 

Hymn  395.  "  Cast  on  the  fidelity."—  C.  Wesley. 

From  the  "  Family  Hymns."  Each  of  the  last  four 
lines  of  verse  2  contains  a  spirited  and  beautiful  per- 
sonification : — 

"  Mercy  to  my  rescue  flew, 

And  Death  ungrasp'd  his  fainting  prey  : 
Pain  before  thy  face  withdrew, 
And  Sorrow  fled  away." 

Hymn  396.  "  Thou  Lamb  of  God,  thou  Prince  of  peace." 

J.  Wesley. 

"  In  Affliction  or  Pain :"  a  translation  from  the  Ger- 


Hymn  397.  "  Eternal  Beam  of  light  divine."—  C.  Wesley. 

"  In  Affliction."  The  prosopopoeia  in  the  fourth  verse, 
in  which  the  passions,  grief,  fear,  and  care,  are  repre- 
sented as  vanishing  before  the  presence  of  the  "  Rock 
of  ages,"  like  mists  before  the  noontide  heat,  is  in  the 
highest  strain  of  sublimity : — 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  369 

M  Be  thou,  O  Rock  of  ages,  nigh ! 

So  shall  each  niurm'ring  thought  he  gone  ; 
And  grief,  and  fear,  and  care,  shall  fly, 
,4s  clovxls  before  the  mid-day  sun.'' 

Hymn  398.  "  The  earth  is  the  Lord's,  and  all  it  contains." 

C.  Wesley. 

"  Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  his  righte- 
ousness, and  all  these  things  shall  be  added  unto  you." 
Matt,  vii,  33.     The  last  verse  omitted. 

Hymn  399.  "  Now  I  have  found  the  ground  wherein." — J.  Wesley. 

A  translation  from  the  German  of  Rotiie,  entitled, 
"  Redemption  found."  This,  says  Mr.  Love,  is  "  a 
glorious  hymn,"  and  "  speaks  the  humble  joy  of  a  new- 
born soul.  "With  what  heartfelt  exultation  has  many  a 
poor  mourning  penitent,  on  first  feeling  the  efficacy  of 
the  atonement,  breathed  out  the  language  of  this  hymn  ! 
The  first  verse  expresses  his  new-found  confidence ;  the 
second  embodies  a  deep  sense  of  the  tender  compassion 
of  God  the  Father ;  the  third  seems  an  enraptured  con- 
templation of  the  love  of  Christ.  The  last  two  lines  of 
the  third  stanza, 

'  While  Jesus'  blood,  through  earth  and  skies, 
Mercy,  free,  boundless  mercy,  cries !' 

contain  a  highly  exhilarating  sentiment,  and  have  a 
striking  association.  These  were  almost  the,  last  words 
of  Mr.  Fletcher,  of  Madeley,  whose  impression  in  the 
hour  of  death  of  the  truths  they  contain  was  so  strong, 
that  his  feeble  voice  re-echoed  the  word  '  boundless/ 
'  boundless,'  with  surprising  energy." — Records  of  Wes- 
leyan  Life. 

16* 


370  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  400.  "  Soldiers  of  Christ,  arise." — C.  Wesley. 

A  spirited  paraphrase  and  versification  of  Ephesians 
vi,  10-18  :  "Put  on  the  whole  armor  of  God,"  <fcc, 
in  which  the  Christian's  heavenly  warfare  is  vividly  de- 
picted. Sixteen  double  stanzas;  5,  6,  9,  and  10,  omit- 
ted.    The  first  two  lines  of  part  third  should  be  written 

thus, — 

"  In  fellowship — alone — 
To  God  with  faith  draw  near." 

Here  are  two  of  the  excluded  stanzas  : — 

"  Still  let  your  feet  be  shod, 

Ready  his  will  to  do ; 
Ready  in  all  the  ways  of  God, 

His  glory  to  pursue  ; 
Ruin  is  spread  beneath, 

The  gospel-greaves  put  on, 
And  safe  through  all  the  snares  of  death 

To  life  eternal  run." 

"  Brandish  in  faith  till  then 

The  Spirit's  two-edged  sword, 
Hew  all  the  snares  of  fiends  and  men 

In  pieces  with  the  Word ; 
"Tis  written' — this  applied, 

Baffles  their  strength  and  art, 

Spirit  and  soul  with  this  divide, 

And  joints  and  marrow  part." 

Hymn  401.  "Hark!  how  the  watchmen  cry  !" — C.  Wesley. 

"For  the  Watchnicrht,"  containing;  twelve  double 
stanzas;  3,  5,  11,  and  12,  excluded.  This  is  a  noble 
hymn,  breathing  the  true  spirit  of  the  Christian  warrior. 
In  verse  4,  of  the  first  part,  there  is  a  roughness  of  ex- 
pression which  well  accords  with  the  sentiments  ex- 
pressed, as  to  the  expulsion  of  the  rebel  angels  from 
heaven : — 


METHODIST    MYMNOLOGY.  3*71 

"  From  thrones  of  glory  driven, 
By  flaming  vengeance  hurl'd, 
They  throng  the  air,  and  darken  heaven, 
And  rule  the  lower  world  " 

It  has  been  thought  that  there  is  some  incongruity  in  the 
union  of  epithets  in  the  following  lines  of  verse  3, 
second  part : — 

"  Jesus,  the  meek,  the  angry  Lamh, 
A  lion  is  in  fight ;" 

but  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  Lamb  of  God,  and 
the  Lion  of  the  tribe  of  Judah,  are  one  and  the  same ; 
and  that  in  the  same  portion  of  Scripture,  in  which  we 
read  of  the  Lamb  slain,  w^e  also  read  of  the  wrath  of 
the  Lamb.  Rev.  vi,  10,  17. 

The  next  two  lines  of  the  same  verse  are  remark- 
able,— 

'•  By  all  hell's  host  withstood, 
We  all  hell's  host  o'erthrow." 

Here,  says  Mr.  Burgess,  "  instead  of  the  regular  move- 
ment of  three  iambuses,  each  consisting  of  a  short 
syllable  followed  by  a  long  one,  we  have,  in  the  first 
line,  an  iambus,  a  spondee,  an  iambus ;  in  the  second 
line,  an  iambus  and  two  spondees, — 

'  By   all  I  hell's  host  j  withstood 
We  all  I  hell's  host  |  o'erthrow.' 

The  three  consecutive  long  syllables — all  hell's  host — 
comprising  two  strongly  aspirated  words — hell's — host 
— give  an  appropriate  harshness  to  these  lines,  so  that  it 
is  somewhat  difficult  to  read  them,  and  we  are  com- 
pelled to  do  it  in  a  slow,  cautious,  and  solemn  way,  ad- 
mirably comporting  with  the  idea  of  a  laborious  and 
successful  opposition  to  our  spiritual  foes." 


372  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Hyain  402.  "  When  I  can  read  my  title  clear." —  Watts. 

"  The  Hope  of  Heaven  our  Support  under  Trials  on 
Earth."     The  first  two  lines  of  this  delightful  little 

hymn, 

"  When  I  can  read  my  title  clear 
To  mansions  in  the  skies," 

have  furnished  Cowper  with  an  idea,  in  his  parallel  be- 
tween Voltaire  and  the  poor  cottager.  In  that  exquisite 
piece  of  eloquence  and  poetry,  the  melancholy  poet  has 
not  only  taken  the  thought,  but  adopted  the  expression 
of  Watts.  He  is  speaking  of  the  cottager,  who,  while 
she  sits  weaving  at  her  door, 

"  Just  knows,  and  knows  no  more,  her  Bible  true — 

A  truth  the  brilliant  Frenchman  never  knew ; 

And  in  that  charter  reads  with  sparkling  eyes 

Her  title  to  a  treasure  in  the  skies." 

Hymn  403.  "  Equip  me  for  the  war." — C.  Wesley. 

"  On  God's  Everlasting  Love,"  embracing  fifty -two 
quatrains,  of  which  3,  4,  5,  6,  13,  14,  compose  our 
hymn.  This  long  poem  was  written  at  a  time  when 
doctrinal  controversy  waxed  warm  between  Arminians 
and  Calvinists,  in  relation  to  the  "  five  points ;"  and 
many  of  the  omitted  verses  contain  what  at  this  day 
would  be  considered  "  hard  thoughts."  Take,  as  a 
specimen,  one  double  stanza,  the  fifteenth,  in  which 
Satan  is  made  to  speak  of  God's  love  to   "  his  little 

ones :" — 

"  He  gives  them  damning  grace, 
To  raise  their  torments  higher, 
And  makes  his  shrieking  children  pass 

To  Moloch  through  the  fire  ; 
He  doom'd  their  souls  to  death 

From  all  eternity : 
This  is  the  Avisdom  from  beneath, 
That  horrible  decree  /" 


METHODIST    HYMN0L0GY.  3*73 

Hymn  404.  "  Saviour  of  all,  what  hast  thou  done." — C.  Wesley. 
"The  Trial  of  Faith."  1  Pet.  ii,   21.     The  second 
stanza  excluded.     This  hymn  ends  finely. 

Hymn  405.  "  Surrounded  by  a  host  of  foes." — C.Wesley. 

"  This  is  the  victory  that  overcometh  the  world,  even 
our  faith."  1  John  v,  4.  If  the  first  two  lines  of  verse  2 
must  be  considered  hyperbolical,  the  rest  are  pre-emi- 
nently striking  and  beautiful. 

Hymn  406.  "Peace,  doubting  heart !  my  God's  I  am." — C.  Wesley. 
"When  thou  passest  through  the  waters,  I  will  be 
with  thee ;  and  through  the  rivers,  they  shall  not  over- 
flow thee :  when  thou  walkest  through  the  fire,  thou 
shalt  not  be  burned  ;  neither  shall  the  flame  kindle  upon 
thee."  Isa.  xliii,  2.  A  very  excellent  hymn,  abounding 
in  Scriptural  images  and  metaphors,  and  full  of  instruc- 
tion and  encouragement  for  the  children  of  God. 

Hymn  407.  "  0  God,  my  hope,  my  heavenly  rest." 

Hymn  408.  "  To  thee,  great  God  of  love,  I  bow."—  C.  Wesley. 

These  two  fine  hymns  are  found  under  the  head,  "  For 
a  Preacher  of  the  Gospel." 

Hymn  409.  "  O  God,  thy  faithfulness  I  plead."—  C.  Wesley. 

The  title  of  this  is,  "  In  Temptation."  Three  stanzas, 
2,  3,  and  8,  omitted. 

Hymn  410.  "Fondly  my  foolish  heart  essays." — C.  Wesley. 

The  last  four  of  fourteen  stanzas,  entitled,  "  In  Desertion 
or  Temptation."  Verses  5,  G,  and  8,  graphically  por- 
tray the  feelings  so  often  experienced  by  the  tempted 
follower  of  Christ,  even  when  engaged  in  the  solemn 
and  important  acts  of  prayer  and  praise  ;  while  the  last 


3*74  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

two  lines  of  verse  8  contain  a  very  striking,  though 
humiliating,  thought : — 

"  My  feeble  knees  I  bend  again, 

My  drooping  hands  again  I  rear : 
Vain  is  the  task,  the  effort  vain, 
My  heart  abhors  the  irksome  prayer. 

"  Oft  with  thy  saints  my  voice  I  raise, 
And  seem  to  join  the  tasteless  song; 
Faintly  ascends  th'  imperfect  praise, 
Or  dies  upon  my  thoughtless  tongue. 

"  Nigh  with  my  lips  to  thee  I  draw, 
Unconscious  at  thy  altar  found  ; 
Far  off  my  heart ;  nor  touch'd  with  awe, 
Nor  moved — though  angels  tremble  round!" 

Hymn  411.  "And  are  we  yet  alive." — C.  Wesley. 

"  For  Christian  Friends ;"  the  last  stanza  rejected. 
In  verse  3  we  have  these  lines, — 

"  Which  saves  us  to  the  uttermost, 
Till  we  can  sin  no  more." 

In  other  hymns  we  find  similar  expressions,  as  in 

85.  "  Take  the  power  of  sin  away." 
358.  "  Without  committing  sin  shall  live, 
Shall  live  to  God  at  last." 

In  reference  to  such  strong  expressions  as  these,  what 
we  are  to  understand  the  poet  as  meaning,  doubtless, 
is,  that  all  the  remaining  corruption  and  depravity  of 
our  hearts  being  destroyed,  there  is  nothing  left  within 
likely  to  betray  us  into  sin.  For,  says  Mr.  Burgess, 
"  if  more  than  this  be  intended,  it  should  be  remem- 
bered, that,  in  all  who  are  in  a  state  of  probation,  the 
power  of  sinning  is  co-ordinate  with  the  power  of  obey- 
ing ;  the  one  cannot  exist  without  the  other.     To  take 


METHODIST    HTMNOLOGY.  Sib 

away,  absolutely,  the  power  of  sinning,  would  be  to 
deprive  us  of  our  free  agency,  and,  of  course,  to  destroy 
our  accountability." 

Hymn  412.  "  Come  away  to  the  skies."—  C.  Wesley. 

This  hymn  was  written  by  the  author  on  the  occa- 
sion of  his  wife's  birthday. 

1 1  v  m  v  413.  "  Come,  Ictus  anew  Our  journey  pursue."— C.  Wesley. 
The  title  of  this  hymn  is,  "  On  a  Journey." 

Hymn  414.  "  Come,  let  us  ascend." — C.  Wesley. 

"  For  Christian  Friends."  When,  says  Mr.  Fletcher, 
"  the  triumphal  chariot  of  perfect  love  gloriously  carries 
you  to  the  top  of  perfection's  hill ;  when  you  are  raised 
far  above  the  common  heights  of  the  perfect ;  when 
you  are  almost  translated  into  glory,  like  Elijah ;  then 
you  may  sing  this  hymn." — Works,  vol.  ii,  p.  668. 

Hymn  415.  "  Try  us,  0  God,  raid  search  the  ground." 

C.  Wesley. 
"  A  Prayer  for  Persons  joined  \n  Fellowship."     An 
expression  in  verse  2  has  by  some  bewi  deemed  objec- 
tionable,— 

"  When  to  the  light  or  left  wc  stray 
Leave  us  not  comfortless." 

"  This,"  says  Mr.  Burgess,  "  might  be  supposed  to 
mean,  when  we  are  wandering  in  the  paths  of  disobe- 
dience, let  us  have  comfort ;  and  thus  understood,  it 
would  be  favorable  to  the  Antinomian  heresy.  To  ex- 
pect comfort  in  the  paths  of  sin  is  presumption  and 
folly,  for  which  not  the  least  warrant  can  be  found  in 
Holy  Scripture.    But  this  could  not  be  the  poet's  mean- 


3*76  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

ing.  All  that  he  intended  was  to  pray,  that,  if  at  any- 
time we  should  unhappily  turn  aside  from  the  right 
way,  we  may  not  be  left  in  that  wretched  and  comfort- 
less condition  ;  that  God  may  not  abandon  us,  but  may 
still  strive  with  us  by  his  good  Spirit,  and  lead  us  back 
into  the  right  way,  the  way  of  obedience,  the  way  of 
peace." 

Hymn  416.  "  Thou  God  of  truth  and  love."—  C.  Wesley. 

"  For  Christian  Friends  ;"  the  last  stanza  omitted. 

Hymn  417.  "Father  of  our  dying  Lord." — C.  Wesley. 
"  For  the  Day  of  Pentecost." 

Hymn  418.  "Jesus,  united  by  thy  grace." — C.  WesUy. 

"  A  Prayer  for  Persons  joined  in  Fellowship."  This 
is  the  last  part  of  hymn  415.  In  verses  1,  8,  and  9, 
there  is  a  recognition  of  three  separate  states  of  exist- 
ence— earth,  paradise,  and  heaven— and  we  are  informed 
that  being  made  perfect  first  in  love,  the  soul  will 
scarcely  know  its  change  from  one  state  to  another,  the 
highest  enjoyment  in  each  being  the  same;  though  we 
must  not  suppo^  the  poet  meant  in  the  same  degree  : — 

rt  Yet  when  the  fullest  joy  is  given, 
The  same  delight  we  prove ; 
In  earth,  in  paradise,  in  heaven, 
Our  all  in  all  is  love." 

Hymn  419.  "  Jesus,  Lord,  we  look  to  thee."—  C.  Wesley. 

The  appropriate  title  of  this  delightful  hymn  is,  "  For 
a  Family."    A  household  whose  character  is  delineated 
in  these  stanzas,  may  indeed  be  said  to  belong 
"  To  the  family  above." 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  Sll 

Hymn  420.  "  Come,  and  let  us  sweetly  join." — C,  Wesley. 

"  The  Love-feast ;"  in  six  parts,  containing  twenty- 
two  double  stanzas  ;  the  last  two  parts  omitted. 

Hymn  421.  "  Come,  let  us  use  the  grace  divine.'' — C.  Wesley. 

"  Come,  and  let  us  join  ourselves  to  the  Lord,  in  a 
perpetual  covenant  that  shall  not  be  forgotten."  Jer. 
1,  5.  This  is  usually  denominated  The  Covenant  Hymn, 
and  is  used  by  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Churches  in 
the  United  States,  at  their  solemn  wTatchnight  meet- 
ings, held  on  New- Year's  eve,  and  continued  until  mid- 
night, when,  just  at  the  departure  of  the  old,  and  the 
commencement  of  the  new,  year,  it  is  sung  by  the 
congregations,  sometimes  standing,  but  frequently  on 
their  knees.  The  Wesleyan  societies  in  England,  and 
elsewhere,  generally  hold  similar  services  on  the  first 
sabbath  in  the  new  year,  when  the  hymn  is  sung,  and 
the  societies  are  invited  and  encouraged  publicly  to 
renew  their  covenant  with  God. 

Hymn  422.  "  Peace  be  on  this  house  bestow'd." — C.  Wesley. 
This  is  entitled,  "  The  Salvation." 

Hymn  423.  "Except  the  Lord  conduct  the  plan." — C.  Wesley. 
"  For  a  Family  of  Believers." 

Hymn  424.  "All  thanks  to  the  Lamb,  who  gives  us  to  meet." 

C.  Wesley. 

"  For  Christian  Friends."  Seven  stanzas  ;  our  hymn 
being  composed  of  1,  2,  and  7.  Verse  2,  of  hymn  47, 
is  taken  from  the  same  poem. 

Hymn  425.  "  Watch'd  by  the  world's  malignant  eye." — C.  Wesley. 
"  Ought  ye  not  to  walk  in  the  fear  of  our  God,  be- 


378  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

cause  of  the  reproach  of  the  heathen  our  enemies." 
Nehemiah  v,  9. 

Hymn  426.  "  See,  Jesus,  thy  disciples  see." — C.  Wesley. 

"  For  Christian  Friends ;"  the  last  two  stanzas  ex- 
cluded. 

Hymn  427.  "  Appointed  by  Thee,  we  meet  in  thy  name." 

C.  Wesley. 

"  For  Christian  Friends :"  six  stanzas,  the  third  and 

sixth  of  which  form  1  and  3  of  our  hymn.     Verse  2  is 

taken  from  hymn  424.     It  is  evidently  out  of  place  in 

its  present  position ;  the  connection  of  the  other  two 

stanzas  being  better  without  it. 

Hymn  428.  "  Blest  be  the  dear  uniting  love." — C.  Wesley. 

Eight  stanzas,  entitled,  "  At  parting."  The  last  line 
of  verse  2  originally  read, — 

"  And  do  his  work  below." 
The  two  omitted  stanzas,  5  and  6,  are  as  follow : — 

"  While  thus  we  walk  with  Christ  in  light, 
Who  shall  our  souls  disjoin? 
Souls,  which  himself  vouchsafes  t'  unite 
In  fellowship  divine ! 

"  We  all  are  one  who  him  receive, 
And  each  with  each  agree, 
In  him  the  One,  the  Truth,  we  live, 
Bless'd  point  of  unity." 

Hymn  429.  "  Jesus,  accept  the  praise." — C.  Wesley. 

"  At  the  parting  of  Friends."  Verses  5,  6,  and  7, 
dwell  upon  the  awfully  terrific  scenes  which  shall  trans- 
pire at  the  destruction  of  the  earth  by  fire,  represent 
the  redeemed  soul  shouting  above  the  fiery  void,  and  in 


METHODIST    HTMNOLOGT.  379 

a  new  world  of  righteousness  and  love,  looking  for  the 
restoration  of  the  old  ruined  earth  and  heaven.  The 
last  line  of  verse  6  is  in  the  highest  strain  of  sub- 
limity : — 

"  These  eyes  shall  see  them  fall. 

Mountains,  and  stars,  and  skies  ! 
These  eyes  shall  see  them  all 

Out  of  their  ashes  rise ! 
These  lips  His  praises  shall  rehearse, 
Whose  nod  restores  the  wiwerse  /" 

Hymn  430.  "God  of  all  consolation,  take." 

Hymn  431.  "  And  let  our  bodies  part." 

Hymn  432.  "Lift  up  your  hearts  to  things  above." — C.  Wesley. 

These  three  hymns  are  also  on  the  subject  of  the 
parting  of  friends ;  and  contain  many  delightful  and 
consoling  reflections.  Three  quatrains,  2,  3,  and  4,  have 
been  omitted  from  hymn  430,  the  entire  "second  part " 
of  431,  and  six  stanzas  from  432. 

Verse  11,  hymn  430,  is  a  paraphrase  of  Rev.  vii,  9: 
"  After  this  I  beheld,  and  lo,  a  great  multitude,  which 
no  man  could  number,  stood  before  the  throne,  and 
before  the  Lamb,  clothed  with  white  robes,  and  palms 
in  their  hands." 

Hymn  433.  "  Glory  be  to  God  above." 

Hymn  434.  "  Saviour  of  sinful  men." — C.  Wesley. 

These  two  are  entitled,  "  At  the  Meeting  of  Friends." 
Three  stanzas,  4,  5,  and  6,  omitted  of  hymn  433.  The 
last  two  lines  of  verse  2,  same  hymn,  were  written  by 
the  author  thus, — 

"  Lasting  comfort,  steadfast  hope, 
Solid  joy,  and  settled  peace." 

From    hymn  434  six  double  stanzas  have  been  ex- 
cluded. 


380  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  435.  "  Jesus,  to  thee  our  hearts  we  lift," 

Hymn  436.  "  Jesus,  we  look  to  thee." 

Hymn  437.  "  All  praise  to  our  redeeming  Lord." — C.  Wesley. 

These  are,  "  For  Christian  Friends."  The  last  stanza 
has  been  omitted  from  hymn  436 ;  and  3,  4,  and  5, 
from  435.  The  following  two  excluded  stanzas,  from 
the  latter  hymn,  have  been  inserted  in  the  Wesleyan 
Hymn-book : — 

"  When  stronger  souls  their  faith  forsook, 
And  lull'd  in  worldly,  hellish  peace, 
Leap'd  desp'rate  from  their  guardian  Rock, 

And  headlong  plunged  in  sin's  abyss ; 
Thy  strength  was  in  our  weakness  shown, 
And  still  it  guards  and  keeps  thine  own. 

"  All  are  not  lost,  or  wander1  d  back  ; 

All  have  not  left  thy  church  and  thee : 
There  are  who  suffer  for  thy  sake, 

Enjoy  thy  glorious  infamy, 
Esteem  the  scandal  of  the  cross, 
And  only  seek  divine  applause." 

Hymn  438.  "  Unchangeable,  Almighty  Lord." — C.  Wesley. 

"  He  that  believeth  shall  not  make  haste."  Isa.  xxviii, 
16.     See  hymn  35V. 

Hymn  439.  "  God  of  love,  that  hear'st  the  prayer." — C.  Wesley. 
"  A  Redemption  Hymn :"  six  quatrains  omitted. 

Hymn  440.  "  Saviour  of  all.  to  thee  we  bow." — C.  Wesley. 

"  If  any  man  hear  my  voice,  and  open  the  door,  I 
will  come  in  to  him,  and  will  sup  with  him,  and  he  with 
me."  Rev.  hi,  20.  As  faith  is  a  receiving  and  appro- 
priating, not  a  bestowing  nor  imparting,  grace,  there 
have  been  objections  to  the  sixth  verse, — 
"  The  heavenly  manna  faith  imparts." 


METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY.  381 

The  fourth  stanza  is  rather  puerile,  and  sinks  below  the 
author's  level :  the  sentiment  is  much  better  expressed 
in  the  fifth.  The  original  language  of  the  last  line, 
verse  4,  is, — 

"  And  rest  in  thy  redeeming  love  ;" 

referring  the  "rest "  to  the  Saviour ;  not  "  who  rest,"  as 
we  have  it,  referring  to  the  church.  The  alteration  in 
the  old  book,  says  an  excellent  critic,  was  probably 
made  in  ignorance  of  the  poet's  allusion,  which  is  to 
that  fine  passage  in  Zephaniah,  "  The  Lord  thy  God  in 
the  midst  of  thee  is  mighty  ;  he  will  save,  he  will  rejoice 
over  thee  with  joy ;  he  will  rest  in  his  love ;  he  will  joy 
over  thee  with  singing." — South.  Meth.  Quar.,  vol.  ii, 
p.  104. 

Hymn  441.  "  Centre  of  our  hopes  thou  art." 

Hymn  442.  "  Jesus,  with  kindest  pity  see." — C.  Wesley. 

These  two  hymns  were  written  by  the  author  for 
himself  and  brother.  From  the  former  the  first  stanza 
has  been  omitted.     It  reads  thus, — 

"  Author  of  the  peace  unknown, 
Lover  of  my  friend  and  me, 
Who  of  twain  hast  made  us  one 
One  preserve  us  still  in  thee  ; 
All  our  heighten'd  blessings  bless, 
Crown  our  hopes  with  full  success." 

The  first  line  of  verse  3  originally  read, — 

"  Let  us  both  together  rise." 

The  author  wrote  the  second  line  of  the  first  stanza, 
hymn  442,  thus, — 

"  Two  souls  that  would  be  one  in  thee." 

Part   of   the   language    of    this   hymn,   it   has    been 


382  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

thought  by  some,  is  ambiguous  and  transcendental  to 
common  minds. 

Hymn  443.  "Lo  !  what  an  entertaining  sight." — Watts. 

"  Brotherly  Love."  Psalm  cxxxiii.  The  poet  wrote 
the  first  stanza  thus, — 

"  Lo !  what  an  entertaining  sight 
Are  brethren  that  agree ; 
Brethren !  whose  cheerful  hearts  unite 
In  bands  of  piety  .'" 

One  verse,  the  third,  has  been  omitted. 

Hymn  444.  "  Father,  at  thy  footstool  see." — C.  Wesley. 

This  hymn,  like  441  and  442,  was  composed  by  the 
author  with  special  reference  to  his  brother  and  himself. 
He  wrote  the  first  two  lines  thus, — 

"  Father,  at  thy  footstool  see 
Two  who  now  are  one  in  thee." 

The   last   double    stanza   has    been   excluded.     It  is 
remarkable,  and  reads  as  follows  : — 

"  Made  like  the  first  happy  pair, 
Let  us  here  thy  nature  share, 
Holy,  pure,  and  perfect,  he, 
Transcript  of  the  Trinity ; 
Foremost  of  created  things, 
Nearest  the  great  King  of  kings  ; 
Standing  as  at  first  we  stood, 
Made  a  little  less  than  God !" 

Hymn  445.  "  Blest  are  the  sons  of  peace." — Watts. 

"  Communion  of  Saints;  or,  Love  and  Worship  in  a 
Family."  Psalm  cxxxiii.  Four  stanzas;  the  third 
omitted : — 


METHODIST    HYMIfOLOGY.  383 

"  Thus  when  on  Aaron's  head 
They  pour'tl  the  rich  perfume, 
The  oil  through  all  his  raiment  spread, 
And  pleasure  fill'd  the  room." 

Hymn  446.  "  Giver  of  concord,  Prince  of  peace." — C.  Wesley. 

"  Little  Children,  love  one  Another,"  is  the  title  of 
this  hymn,  and  evidently  refers  to  some  of  the  expres- 
sions of  St.  John,  perhaps  iv,  *1.  Three  stanzas,  5,  6,  8, 
excluded,  none  of  which  is  worth  retaining. 

Hymn  447.  "  Christ,  from  whom  all  blessings  flow." — C.  Wesley. 

This  is  part  the  fourth,  omitting  two  verses,  of  a  poem 
in  six  parts,  entitled,  "  The  Communion  of  Saints,"  con- 
taining thirty-nine  double  stanzas. 

Hymn  448.  "  Our  friendship  sanctify  and  guide." — C.  Wesley. 

This  was  written  by  the  poet  for  himself  and  bro- 
ther ;  which  will  account  for  the  peculiar  phraseology 
in  the  second  verse  : — 

"  What'er  thou  dost  on  one  bestow, 
Let  each  the  double  blessing  know." 

The  double  stanzas,  1,  5,  6,  are  omitted,  all  of  which  con- 
tain personal  allusions  to  themselves.  The  last  two  are  of 
so  interesting  a  character  that  they  must  be  inserted  : — 

"  And  if  it  be  thy  sovereign  will, 
Jesus,  our  hearts'  desire  fulfill ; 

Thou  know'st,  dear  Lord,  what  we  would  say : 
To  thee  the  matter  we  submit, 
But  if  thy  wisdom  deems  it  fit, 

O  call  us  both  at  once  away. 
Let  both  at  once  the  summons  hear, 
And  bless  the  welcome  messenger, 


384  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

The  angel  of  thy  latest  grace : 
Let  both  at  once  our  souls  resign 
Into  those  gracious  hands  of  thine, 

And  see  at  once  thy  glorious  face. 

"In  thee  together  let  us  die, 
Together  mount  above  the  sky, 

Smooth- wafted  on  the  angel's  wings, 
Together  take  the  starry  crown, 
And  sit  with  thee  triumphant  down, 

Assessors  of  the  King  of  kings ; 
Together  on  thy  fullness  feast, 
In  thee  and  in  each  other  blest, 

The  social  joys  of  heaven  improve ; 
Sing  the  new  song  which  ne'er  shall  end, 
And  jointly  in  thy  praises  spend 

An  everlasting  age  of  love." 

Hymn  449.  "  0  Thou,  our  Husband,  Brother,  Friend." 

C.  Wesley. 

A  "Hymn  of  Intercession,"  containing  nine  stanzas, 
the  last  three  excluded. 

Hymn  450.  "  Come,  wisdom,  power,  and  grace  divine." 
Hymn  451.  "0  Saviour,  cast  a  gracious  smile." — C.  Wesley. 

These  two  are  from  "  Hymns  for  the  Use  of  Fami- 
lies." 

Hymn  452.  "  Blest  be  the  tie  that  binds." — Fawcett. 

This  hymn  is  entitled  "Brotherly  Love,"  and  the 
sentiments  delightfully  accord  with  its  import ;  it  is  a 
general  and  deserved  favorite. 

Hymn  453.  "  Holy  Lamb,  who  thee  confess." — C.  Wesley. 

From  the  "  Family  Hymns."  Verse  3  exhibits  a 
beautiful  peculiarity  in  the  occasional  structure  of  the 
author's   poetry,    where   the   intensity   of   "wrestling 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  385 

faith  "  is  shown  as  well  as  expressed  in  the  repetitions 
of  the  last  three  lines.  Objections  have  been  made 
to  the  closing  lines  of  the  hymn, — 

"  Till  we  on  the  sacred  tree 
Bow  the  head,  and  die  like  Thee." 

Hymn  454.  "  Jesus,  thy  wand'ring  sheep  behold." 
Hymn  455.  "  Lord  of  the  harvest,  hear."—  C.  Wesky. 

These  are,  "A  Prayer  for  Laborers  :"  454  contains 
eleven  stanzas,  the  last  three  excluded.  Verse  10  is 
expressive  of  its  origin  : — 

"  To  Thee  for  all  men  lifted  up, 

0  let  them  still  their  witness  bear  ; 

And  shouting  from  the  mountain-top, 

The  Saviour  of  the  world  declare." 

From  455  the  last  stanza  has  been  rejected. 

Hymn  456.  "  How  beauteous  are  their  feet." — Watts. 

"  The  Blessedness  of  Gospel  Times  ;  or,  The  Revela- 
tion of  Christ  to  Jews  and  Gentiles."  Isa.  lii,  2,  7-10  ; 
Matt,  xiii,  16,  17.  This  is  a  fine  hymn  to  be  sung  on 
missionary  occasions. 

Hymn  457.  "  Father,  if  justly  still  we  claim." 

Hymn  458.  "  On  all  the  earth  thy  Spirit  shower."— More. 

"  Upon  the  Descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost  on  the  Day 
of  Pentecost."  Altered  from  Dr.  H.  More,  by  John 
Wesley,  and  published  with  his  and  Charles's  "  Hymns 
and  Sacred  Poems,"  1739.  Both  hymns  are  portions 
of  the  same  poem  ;  the  first  five  stanzas  of  which  are 
omitted. 

Hymn  459.  "  Comfort,  ye  ministers  of  grace."—  C  Wesley. 

A  paraphrase  of  the  first  five  verses  of  the  fortieth 
17 


386  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

chapter  of  Isaiah.     Ten  stanzas;  the   third,   fourth, 
eighth,  and  ninth,  excluded. 

Hymn  460.  "  High  on  his  everlasting  throne." — J.  Wesley. 

"  God's  Husbandry  :"  a  translation  from  the  German 
of  Spangenberg,  who  presented  the  original  to  Count 
Zinzendorf  on  his  birthday,  in  the  year  1734.  It  com- 
prises thirteen  double  stanzas  ;  the  first,  third,  eighth, 
and  thirteenth  of  which,  compose  our  hymn.  Mr. 
Montgomery,  who  inserted  this  hymn,  omitting  three 
double  stanzas,  into  his  "  Christian  Psalmist,"  says, 
though  considerably  abridged  from  the  original,  it  con- 
tains "  one  of  the  most  consistent  allegories  that  can  be 
found  in  verse,  on  the  manner  in  which  it  has  pleased 
God,  by  the  ministry  of  the  gospel,  to  reclaim  a  world 
from  the  desolation  which  sin  hath  made." 

The  first  two  lines  of  verse  7  should  read  thus, — 

"  O  multiply  the  sowers'  seed, 

And  fruit  toe  every  hour  shall  hear ;" 

making  the  pronoun  refer  to  "  sowers,"  and  not  to 
"  seed,"  as  in  the  Hymn-book. 

Hymn  461.  "  Draw  near,  0  Son  of  God,  draw  near." — C.  Wesley. 

The  title  of  this  is  :  "A  Prayer  for  the  Bishops ;" 
ay  !  for  the  prelates  of  the  English  Establishment, 
"  worthy  successors "  of  the  apostles.  So  here  we 
have  in  our  own  Hymn-book,  what  does  not  appear  in 
the  Wesleyan  collection,  a  hymn  written  in  support  of 
that  doctrinal  fable,  Apostolical  succession.  But  if  there 
be  any  doubt  as  to  the  real  meaning  of  the  poet's  lan- 
guage, just  refer  to  the  one  omitted  stanza.  It  is  the 
fourth,  and  rims  thus, — 


10DIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  38*7 

"  The  worthy  successors  of  those 
Who  first  adorn'd  the  sacred  line ; 
Bold  let  them  stand  before  their  foes, 
And  dare  assert  their  right  divine." 

The  third  line  of  the  first  verse  originally  read, — 
"  Still  in  thy  falling  church  appear " 

Hymn  462.  "  Shall  I,  for  fear  of  feeble  man." 

Hymn  463.  "  Saviour  of  men,  thy  searching  eye."— -J.  Wesley. 

These  two  hymns  are  a  translation  from  the  German 
of  Winkler,  entitled,  "  Boldness  in  the  Gospel."  They 
bear  internal  evidence  of  having  been  composed  during 
Mr.  Wesley's  mission  to  Georgia,  and  while  he  was  suffer- 
ing great  persecution  for  the  faithful  manner  in  which  he 
discharged  his  pastoral  duties,  by  openly  and  fearlessly 
reproving  sin.  Hence,  perhaps,  the  title  of  the  hymns, 
and  the  peculiar  language  of  the  first  three  stanzas  of 
hymn  462. 

Hvmn  464.  "  The  Lord  is  King,  and  earth  submits." — C.  Wesley. 

"He  that  believeth  shall  not  make  haste."  Isa. 
xxviii.  1G.     (See  hymn  357.)     Verse  4, — 

"  Jesus,  the  woman's  conq'ring  Seed, 
Though  now  the  serpent  bruise  his  heel, 
Jesus  shall  bruise  the  serpent's  head?'' 

"  And  I  will  put  enmity  between  thee  and  the  wo- 
man, and  between  thy  seed  and  her  seed  ;  it  shall 
bruise  thy  head,  and  thou  shalt  bruise  his  heel.''  Gen. 
iii,  15. 

Htmn  465.  "  Are  there  not  in  the  laborer's  day."— J".  Wesley. 

"  The  Way  of  Duty  the  Way  of  Safety."  One  stanza, 
the  second,  omitted  : — 


388  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

"  Not  all  the  powers  of  earth  can  fright 
A  soul  that  walks  with  Christ  in  light ; 

He  walks,  and  cannot  fall : 
Clearly  he  sees,  and  wins  his  way, 
Shining  unto  the  perfect  day, 
And  more  than  conquers  all." 

Objection  has  been  urged  against  the  apparently  boast- 
fid  language  with  which  the  hymn  closes  : — 

"  My  soul  into  thy  hands  I  give, 
And,  if  he  can  obtain  thy  leave, 
Let  Satan  pluck  me  thence." 

Hymn  466.  "  Go  preach  my  gospel,  saith  the  Lord."—  Watts. 

"  The  Apostles'  Commission  :  or,  The  Gospel  attest- 
ed by  Miracles."  Mark  xvi,  15,  &c. ;  Matt  xxviii,  18, 
&c.  Two  stanzas,  3  and  5,  excluded ;  the  fifth  is  as 
follows : — 

"  He  spake,  and  light  shone  round  his  head, 
On  a  bright  cloud  to  heaven  he  rode  ; 
They  to  the  furthest  nations  spread 
The  grace  of  their  ascended  God." 

Hymn  467.  "Jesus,  the  word  of  mercy  give." — C.  Wesley. 

"  Let  thy  priests  be  clothed  with  salvation,  and  let 
thy  saints  rejoice  in  goodness."  2  Chron.  vi,  41.  "Let 
them  that  love  him  be  as  the  sun  when  he  goeth  forth 
in  his  might."  Judges  v,  31.  Verses  1  and  2  are 
founded  upon  the  former,  3,  4,  5,  and  6,  upon  the 
latter,  text ;  upon  which  the  author  has  two  more  qua- 
trains : — 

"  Such  honor  shall  thy  saints  receive, 
Who  thee  sincerely  love  ; 
Dispensers  of  thy  gifts  we  live, 
And  general  blessings  prove ; — 


METHODISE    llVMNOl.onv.  389 

And  when  our  useful  course  is  run, 

Enjoy  thy  kingdom  given, 
Bright  as  the  uncreated  sun 

In  the  eternal  heaven." 


Hymn  468.  "  Jesus,  the  name  high  over  all." — C.  Wesley. 

This  was  composed  "  after  preaching — in  a  Church,* 
and  contains  twenty-two  stanzas,  of  which  9,  10,  12, 
13,  18,  and  22,  constitute  our  hymn.  Of  those  exclud- 
ed, 8  and  14  are  subjoined  :  the  latter  is  familiar  to 
many,  and  highly  appreciated  ;  the  former,  also,  has  in 
it  what  will  render  it  dear  to  the  numerous  admirers  of 
the  joint  poet  and  pioneer  of  Methodism  : — 

"  Thee  I  shall  constantly  proclaim, 
Though  earth  and  hell  oppose ; 
Bold  to  confess  thy  glorious  Name 
Before  a  world  of  foes." 

"  O  that  my  Jesus'  heavenly  charms 
Might  every  bosom  move ! 
Fly,  sinner ;  fly  into  those  arms 
Of  everlasting  love." 

Hymn  469.  "  Jesus,  my  strength  and  righteousness." 

C.  Wesley. 

"  For  a  Minister  of  Christ."  Comprising  nine  double 
stanzas,  the  first  three  of  which  make  our  hymn.  The 
last  line  of  verse  4  should  read, — 

"  With  pitying  love  look'd  down." 
For  the  omitted  stanzas  see  pages  146-7. 

Hymn  470.  "  I  the  good  fight  have  fought."—  C  Wesley. 

"I  have  fought  a  good  fight.  I  have  kept  the 
faith."  2  Tim.  iv,  1. 


390  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  471.  "Let  Zion's  watchmen  all  awake." — Doddridge. 

"  Watching  for  Souls  in  the  View  of  the  Great 
Account."  Heb.  xiii,  17.  For  the  Ordination  of  a 
Minister.  The  first  word  of  the  fourth  verse  should 
be"  All,"  not  "  And,"  as  in  the  Hymn-book. 

Hymn  472.  "Steel  me  to  shame-,  reproach,  disgrace." — C.Wesley. 
The  last  four  of  eight  stanzas,  entitled,  "  Boldness  in 
the  Gospel."  This  hymn  breathes  the  confident  ex- 
pression of  the  dauntless  ambassador  of  Christ,  with 
his  face  set  like  flint,  and  a  brow  of  adamant,  to  brave 
every  difficulty  in  the  faithful  execution  of  his  high 
commission,  nor  shrink  to  declare  the  "  harshest  truths  " 
of  the  gospel.  In  two  of  the  excluded  stanzas,  3  and 
4,  he  thus  prays  for  a  suitable  preparation  for  his  all- 
important  work : — 

"  Now  arm  me  for  the  threat'ning  fight, 
Now  let  thy  power  descend  from  high, 
Triumphant  in  thy  Spirit's  might, 
So  shall  I  every  foe  defy. 

"  I  ask  thy  help ;  by  thee  sent  forth, 
Thy  glorious  gospel  to  proclaim  ; 
Be  thou  my  mouth,  and  shake  the  earth, 
And  spread  by  me  thy  awful  name." 

Hymn  473.  "  Give  me  the  faith  which  can  remove." — C.  Wesley. 

One  of  our  poet's  excellent  hymns,  "  For  a  Preacher 
of  the  Gospel."  Eight  stanzas  :  1,  2,  and  8,  omitted; 
the  last  of  which  reads  thus, — 

"  Or  if,  to  serve  thy  church  and  Thee, 
Myself  be  ofFer'd  up  at  last, 
My  soul  brought  through  the  purple  sea, 

With  those  beneath  the  altar  cast, 
Shall  claim  the  palm  to  martyrs  given, 
And  mount  a  brighter  throne  in  heaven." 


METHODIST    HVMNOLOGY.  391 

The  allusion  in  the  third  and  fourth  lines  to  Rev.  vi,  9, 
is  very  beautiful  and  expressive  :  "  And  when  he  had 
opened  the  fifth  seal,  I  saw  under  the  altar  the  souls 
of  them  that  were  slant  for  the  word  of  God,  and  for  the 
testimony  which  they  held." 

In  the  second  verse  of  the  hymn,  Mr.  Wesley  breathes 
a  "  strong  desire  "  for  a  "  calmly  fervent  zeal," 
"  To  save  poor  souls  out  of  the  fire ; 
To  snatch  them  from  the  verge  of  hell ; 
And  turn  them  to  a  pard'ning  God, 
And  quench  the  brands  in  Jesus'  blood." 

There  is  a  passage  in  the  "  Course  of  Time,"  which 
bears  a  strong  resemblance  to  these  lines.  Pollok 
exclaims, — 

" the  Holy  One  for  sinners  dies ; 

The  Lord  of  life  for  guilty  rebels  bleeds ; 
Quenches  eternal  fire  with  blood  divine." 

B.  ii,  1.  157,  &c. 

Hymn  474.  "Jesus,  thou  soul  of  all  our  joys." — C.  Wesley. 

The  title  of  this  fine  hymn  is,  "  The  True  Use  of 
Music,"  and  is  founded  on  1  Cor.  xiv,  15  :  "I  will  sing 
with  the  spirit,  and  I  will  sing  with  the  understanding 
also."  "  Music,"  says  Dr.  Clarke,  "  as  a  science,  I  es- 
teem and  admire  ;  but  instruments  of  music  in  the 
house  of  God  I  abominate  and  abhor.  This  is  the 
abuse  of  music  ;  and  I  here  register  my  protest  against 
all  such  corruptions  in  the  worship  of  the  Author  of 
Christianity.  The  late  venerable  and  most  eminent 
divine,  the  Rev.  John  Wesley,  who  was  a  lover  of  music, 
and  an  elegant  poet,  when  asked  his  opinion  of  instru- 
ments of  music  being  introduced  into  the  chapels  of 
the  Methodists,  said,  in  his  terse  and  powerful  manner, 
'  I  have  no  objection  to  instruments  of  music  in  our 


302  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

chapels,  provided  they  are  neither  heard  nor  seen.'  I 
say  the  same,  though  I  think  the  expense  of  purchase 
had  better  be  spared." — Com.  on  Amos  vi,  5. 

To  the  attention  of  all  lovers  of  instrumental  music, 
who  are  professors  of  religion,  we  would  respectfully 
and  affectionately  recommend  this  hymn,  especially  the 
fifth  verse : — 

"  Still  let  us  on  our  guard  be  found, 
And  watch  against  the  power  of  sound 

With  sacred  jealousy : 
Lest,  haply,  sense  should  damp  our  zeal, 
And  music's  charms  bewitch  and  steal 
Our  hearts  away  from  Thee." 

Hymn  475.  "  Once  more  we  come  before  our  God." — Hart. 

"  Before  Preaching."  Six  stanzas ;  the  last  two 
omitted.     They  are  as  follow : — 

"  Bid  the  refreshing  north  wind  wake, 
Say  to  the  south  wind,  blow ; 
Let  every  plant  the  power  partake, 
And  all  tho  garden  grow. 

"  Revive  the  parch'd  with  heavenly  showers, 
The  cold  with  warmth  divine ; 
And  as  the  benefit  is  ours, 
Be  all  the  glory  thine." 

The  author  wrote  the  third  line,  verse  3,  "  Board  up 
the  precious  treasure  ;"  and  the  last  line,  verse  4,  "Pro- 
duce a  copious  fruit." 

Hymn  476.  "  Father  of  all,  whose  powerful  voice."— J".  Weshy. 

A  most  beautiful  and  spirited  paraphrase  of  the 
Lord's  Prayer;  and  one  of  the  few  original  poetical 
composures  of  the  founder  of  Methodism.  Mr.  Wesley 
published  this  poem  at  the  end  of  his  sixth  discourse 


METHODIST   HTMNOLOGY.  393 

upon  our  Lord's  Sermon  on  the  Mount :  it  is  also  found 
in  "  Hymns  and  Sacred  Poems,"  by  J.  and  C.  Wesley, 
1742. 

Hymn  477.  "  See  how  great  a  flame  aspires." — C.  Wesley. 

This  very  animated  and  emphatic  hymn  was  written 
"  After  preaching  to  the  Newcastle  Colliers,"  on  the 
joyful  occasion  of  the  author's  ministerial  success,  and 
that  of  his  fellow-laborers,  among  that  people.  "  Per- 
haps," says  Mr.  Jackson,  "  the  imagery  was  suggested 
by  the  large  fires  which  illuminate  the  whole  part  of 
that  country  in  the  darkest  nights." 

Hymn  478.  "Jesus,  the  Conqu'ror,  reigns."— C.  Wesley. 

This  is  found  under  the  head,  "  Hymns  for  Believers," 
and  contains  sixteen  double  stanzas ;  the  first  six  of 
which  compose  our  hypan. 

Hymn  479.  "Jesus  shall  reign  where'er  the  sun."—  Watts. 

"Christ's  Kingdom  among  the  Gentiles."  Psalm 
lxxii.  Second  Part.  Four  quatrains  omitted ;  sixth, 
seventh,  and  eighth  of  which,  being  the  last  of  the 
Psalm,  are  as  follow  : — 

"  Blessings  abound  where'er  He  reigns  ; 
The  pris'ner  leaps  to  lose  his  chains  ; 
The  weary  find  eternal  rest, 
And  all  the  sons  of  want  are  blest. 

"  Where  he  displays  his  healing  power, 
Death  and  the  curse  arc  known  no  more ; 
J11  him  the  tribes  of  Adam  boast 
More  blessings  than  their  father  lost. 

"  Let  every  creature  rise,  and  bring 
Peculiar  honors  to  our  King; 
Angels  descend  with  songs  again, 
And  earth  repeat  the  long  Amen." 
17* 


394  METHODIST   HYMNOLOG1'. 

Hymn  480.  "  Arm  of  the  Lord,  awake,  awake !" — C.  Wesley. 

The  second  part  of  a  paraphrase,  in  two  parts,  of  the 
fifty-first  chapter  of  Isaiah.  Five  stanzas  omitted. 
The  personifications  of  Death  and  Hell,  in  the  third,  and 
of  "  sighing  "  Grief,  in  the  fourth,  verse,  are  very  expres- 
sive ;  and  when  reading  them  we  feel  like  joining  "  the 
ransomed  seed,"  as  they 

"  Shouting  their  heavenly  Sion  gain, 

And  pass  through  death  triumphant  home !" 

Hymn  481.  "Jesus,  from  thy  heavenly  place." — C.  Wesley. 

"  The  Lord  dwelleth  on  high,  and  hath  filled  Sion 
with  judgment  and  righteousness.  And  wisdom  and 
knowledge  shall  be  the  stability  of  thy  times,  and 
strength  of  salvation  ;  the  fear  of  the  Lord  is  his  trea- 
sure." Isaiah  xxxiii,  5,  6. 

The  author  wrote  the  sixth  line  of  verse  2,  and  so 
it  still  reads  in  the  English  book,  thus, — 

"  Our  king's  peculiar  treasure  prove.'' 

"  Father  Hitt,  to  suit  it  to  republican  America,  alter- 
ed the  word,  and  we  now  pray  that  '  piety  sincere '  may 
wove  the  '  peculiar  treasure '  of  our  land,  and  that  it 
may  be  inspired  with  '  humble  love.'  " — Floy,  M.  E. 
Quar.  Rev.,  1844. 

Hymn  482.  "  Happy  soul,  who  sees  the  day." — C.  Wesley. 

A  beautiful  paraphrase  and  expansion  of  the  twelfth 
chapter  of  Isaiah. 

Hymn  483.  "  Glory  to  God,  whose  sovereign  grace." — C.  Wesley. 
This  hymn  was  written  "  For  the  Kingswood  Colliers." 


METHODIST    HTMNOLOGY.  395 

The  last  two  stanzas,  which  are  remarkable,  have  been 
excluded.    They  read  thus, — 

"  Suffice  that  for  the  season  past, 

Hell's  horrid  language  fill'cl  our  tongues  , 
We  all  thy  words  behind  us  cast, 

And  lewdly  sang  the  drunkard's  songs. 

"  But  0  the  power  of  grace  divine  ! 
In  hymns  we  now  our  voices  raise, 
Loudly  in  strange  hosannas  join, 

And  blasphemies  are  turn'd  to  praise." 

An  explanation  of  these  stanzas,  as  well  as  of  some 
expressions  in  the  former  part  of  the  hymn,  namely, 
"  senseless  stories,''  "reprobates,"  " outcasts,"  will  be 
found  in  the  following  extract  from  Dr.  Southey's  Life 
of  Wesley  : — "  Near  that  city  (Bristol)  is  a  tract  of 
country,  called  Kingswood ;  formerly,  as  its  name  im- 
plies, it  had  been  a  royal  chase,  containing  between 
three  and  four  thousand  acres,  but  it  had  been  gradu- 
ally appropriated  by  the  several  lords  whose  estates 
lay  round  about  its  borders  ;  and  their  title,  which  for 
a  long  time  was  no  better  than  what  possession  gave 
them,  had  been  legalized.  The  deer  had  long  since 
disappeared,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  wood  also ; 
and  coal-mines  having  been  discovered  there,  from 
which  Bristol  derives  its  chief  supply  of  fuel,  it  was 
now  inhabited  by  a  race  of  people  as  lawless  as  the 
foresters,  their  forefathers,  but  far  more  brutal,  and 
differing  as  much  from  the  people  of  the  surrounding 
country  in  dialect  as  in  appearance.  .  .  .  When  upon 
his  last  visit  to  Bristol,  before  his  embarkation,  White- 
field  spoke  of  converting  the  savages,  many  of  his 
friends  said  to  him,  'What  need  of  going  abroad  for 
this  ?  have  not  we  Indians  enough  at  home  ?    If  you 


396  METHODIST   HYtfNOLOGY. 

have  a  mind  to  convert  Indians,  there  are  colliers  enough 
in  Kingswood.'' " 

Hymn  484.  "  Father  of  me  and  all  mankind." — C.  Wesley. 

"  Our  Father  which  art  in  heaven,  hallowed  be  thy 
name.  Thy  kingdom  come."  Lukexi,  2.  This  hymn 
comprises  the  first  six  quatrains  of  a  paraphrase  and 
enlargement  on  the  Lord's  Prayer,  containing  ten  dou- 
ble stanzas. 

Hymn  485.  "  All  glory  to  God  in  the  sky." 

Hymn  486.  "  Father,  our  hearts  we  lift." — C.  Wesley. 

These  two  are  "  On  the  Nativity ;"  the  former,  in 
the  estimation  of  Mr.  John  Wesley,  was  the  best  of 
his  brother's  Nativity  Hymns. 

Hymn  487.  "  All  hail !  happy  day." 

The  authorship  of  this  hymn  is  unknown ;  but  it  is 
found  in  Bishops  Coke  and  Asbury's  "Pocket  Hymn- 
book." 

In  verse  3  there  is  an  expression,  which  perhaps 
needs  an  explanation  to  make  it  clear  to  some  minds  : — 

"  And  acknowledge  him  JAH,  the  I  AM." 
Also, 

Hymn  270—"  JEHOVAH,  GREAT  I  AM." 
Hymn  482 — "  Jah,  Jehovah,  is  my  Lord." 
Hymn  484 — "  And  glorify  the  great  I  AM." 

Dr.  Clarke,  in  his  comment  on  Psalm  lxviii,  4,  "By 
his  name  JAH,"  says,  "  Yah,  probably  a  contraction 
of  the  word  Yehovah;  at  least,  so  the  ancient  versions 
understood  it.  It  is  used  but  in  few  places  in  the 
sacred  writings.  It  might  be  translated,  The  Self- 
existent." 


METHODIST  HYMNOLOGY.  397 

Hymn  488.  "  Shepherds,  rejoice,  lift  up  your  eyes." —  Watts. 

"  The  Nativity  of  Christ,"  from  the  author's  "  Lyric 
Poems." 

Hymn  489.  "  While  shepherds  watch'd  their  flocks  hy  night." 

Tate  and  Brady. 

A  most  delightful  old  pastoral,  on  the  Nativity  of 
our  Lord.  "There  is,"  says  the  American  editor  of 
the  "  Christian  Year,"  "  much  better  poetry  in  the  world 
than  this :  but  it  may  be  well  doubted  whether  there 
are  two  other  lines  (the  first  two  of  the  hymn)  that  will 
thrill  as  many  hearts,  or  brighten  as  many  eyes."  The 
present  writer  feels  the  truth  of  these  sentiments  the 
more  sensibly,  from  the  fact  that  this  precious  old  hymn 
is  the  first  he  ever  remembers  to  have  committed  to 
memory,  in  the  days  of  his  childhood ;  and  he  cannot 
help  associating  it  with  all  that  is  green,  and  sunny,  and 
innocent,  in  young  existence,  and  all  that  is  real  and 
glorious  in  Christian  experience.  O  !  it  is  a  happy  re- 
flection, now  that  he  is  passing  the  meridian  of  life,  to 
think  that  his  first  songs,  like  those  of  the  angels  on  the 
morning  of  the  nativity,  were  in  praise  of  the  Prince  of 
peace.     But  this  is  not  the  place  for  such  reflections. 

Hymn  490.  "  Hark!  the  herald  angels  sing." — C.  Wesley. 

This  is  entitled,  a  "  Hymn  for  Christmas-day," 
and  contains  ten  quatrains,  7  and  10  being  omitted, 
and  the  other  eight  thrown  into  four  double  verses. 
The  author  wrote  the  first  two  lines  of  the  hymn  as 
follow,  which  were  altered  by  J.  Wesley  as  they  stand 
in  the  Hymn-book  : — 

i:  Hark  !  how  all  the  welkin  rings, 
'  Glory  to  the  King  of  kings.' " 


398  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  491.  "  Mortals,  awake,  with  angels  join." — Medley. 

"  The  Nativity  of  Christ."  From  this  spirited  poem 
two  verses  have  been  rejected,  and  6,  8,  and  9,  have 
been  transposed,  forming  7,  5,  and  6,  in  the  Hymn- 
book.     The  omitted  stanzas,  5  and  *7,  are  subjoined : — 

"  Wrapp'd  in  the  silence  of  the  night, 
The  world  in  darkness  lay, 
When  sudden,  glorious,  heavenly  light, 
Burst  in  a  flood  of  day." 

"  0  for  a  glance  of  heavenly  love, 
Our  hearts  and  songs  to  raise ! 
Sweetly  to  hear  our  souls  above, 
And  mingle  with  their  lays." 

Hymn  492.  "  Come,  let  us  anew  our  journey  pursue." 

Hymn  493.  "  The  Lord  of  earth  and  sky." 

Hymn  494.  "  Sing  to  the  great  Jehovah's  praise." — C.  Wesley. 

Three  of  our  poet's  inimitable  "  New-Year  Hymns  :" 
the  first  remarkable  for  the  joyousness  of  the  meter, 
and  union  of  matter  and  manner ;  the  second,  a  beau- 
tiful improvement  and  application  of  the  Scripture 
parable  of  the  "barren  fig-tree;"  and  the  third  ends 
with  a  note  worthy  of  the  occasion  and  the  theme  : — 

"  Our  residue  of  days  or  hours, 

Thine,  wholly  thine,  shall  be : 
And  all  our  consecrated  powers 

A  sacrifice  to  Thee  ; 
Till  Jesus  in  the  clouds  appear, 

To  saints  on  earth  forgiven, 
And  bring  the  grand  sabbatic  year — 

The  jubilee  of  heaven  !" 

Hymn  495.  "Where  is  my  God,  my  joy,  my  hope." — C.  Wesley. 
Hymn  496.  "  We  left  our  hearts  to  Thee."— J.  Wesley. 

The  title  of  each  of  these  is,  "  A  Morning  Hymn." 


MKTHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  399 

The  former  was  undoubtedly  written  by  C.  Wesley,  as 
it  is  found  among  his  Poems ;  but  the  latter  first  ap- 
peared in  a  work  containing  original  hymns  by  both 
brothers,  and  does  not  rhyme  in  the  first  and  third  lines 
of  each  verse.  As  there  is  not  a  single  stanza  known 
to  be  C.  Wesley's  with  this  defect,  the  hymn  is,  we 
believe,  correctly  attributed  to  his  brother  John,  who 
was  not  so  particular  in  this  respect. 

Hymn  497.  "  All  praise  to  Him  who  dwells  in  bliss." — C.  Wesley. 

"  An  Evening  Hymn."     The  following  couplet,  verse 
1,  has  not,  perhaps,  been  generally  understood : — 
"  Whose  throne  is  darkness  in  th'  abyss 
Of  uncreated  light." 

"  We  suppose,"  says  Dr.  Summers,  in  a  gloss  on  these 
lines,  "  the  poet  had  his  eye  on  such  passages  as  the 
following :  /  will  appear  in  the  cloud  upon  the  mercy- 
seat.  Lev.  xvi,  2.  The  Lord  hath  said  that  he  would 
dwell  in  thick  darkness.  2  Chron.  vi,  1.  Clouds  and 
darkness  are  round  about  him.  Psalm  xcvii,  2.  Com- 
pared with  these :  Who  covercst  thyself  with  light  as 
with  a  garment.  Psalm  civ,  2.  Who  only  hath  im- 
mortality divelling  in  light  which  no  man  can  approach 
unto,  whom  no  man  hath  seen,  nor  can  see.  1  Tim.  vi,  16. 
These  opposing  figures  are  finely  expressive  :  '  light ' 
represents  the  purity  and  glory  of  the  divine  character 
— the  '  darkness '  represents  the  incomprehensibility  of 
the  divine  essence,  the  inscrutableness  of  Jehovah's  de- 
signs, and  the  mysteries  of  his  providence  and  grace. 
In  regard  to  poetic  machinery,  clouds  are  usually  em- 
ployed to  produce  darkness.  In  the  couplet  in  ques- 
tion, however,  the  darkness  is  produced  by  distance 
and  dazzling  splendor.     Milton  has  crowded  together 


400  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

all  those  figures  in  that  fine  passage  of  Paradise  Lost, 
book  the  third  : — 

'  Thee,  Father,  first  they  sung,  Omnipotent, 
Immutable,  Immortal,  Infinite, 
Eternal  King :  thee,  Author  of  all  being, 
Fountain  of  light,  thyself  invisible 
Amidst  the  glorious  brightness  where  thou  sitt'st 
Throned  inaccessible,  but  where  thou  shedd'st 
The  full  blaze  of  thy  beams,  and,  though  a  cloud 
Drawn  round  about  thee  like  a  radiant  shrine, 
Dark  with  excessive  bright  thy  skirts  appear, 
Yet  dazzle  heaven,  that  brightest  seraphim 
Approach  not,  but  with  both  wings  veil  their  eyes.' " 

Hymn  498.  "  Giver  and  guardian  of  my  sleep." — C  Wesley, 

This  hymn  is  entitled,  "  At  Waking,"  and  contains 
fourteen  stanzas.  Hymn  165  is  the  latter  part  of  the 
same  poem.  The  omitted  stanzas  are  4,  1,  8,  9,  and 
13.     Verse  9  reads  thus, — 

"  Anger  and  lust  thou  wilt  expel, 
And  pride  by  stronger  grace ; 
They  can  in  me  no  longer  dwell, 
When  Jesus  fills  the  place." 

Hymn  499.  "  When  quiet  in  my  house  I  sit." — C.  Wesley. 

"  Thou  shalt  talk  of  them  when  thou  sittest  in  thy 
house,  and  when  thou  walkest  by  the  way,  and  when 
thou  liest  down,  and  when  thou  risest  up."  Deut.  vi,  7. 

Hymn  500.  "  Once  more,  my  soul,  the  rising  day." —  Watts. 

"  A  Morning  Song."  Two  stanzas,  the  fourth  and 
fifth,  rejected 

Hymn  501.  "  Lord,  thou  wilt  hear  me  when  I  pray." — Watts. 
"  An  Evening  Psalm."  Psa.  iv,  3-5,  8. 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  401 

Hymn  502.  "Lord,  in  the  morning  thou  shalt  hear.'' — Watts. 

"For  the  Lord's  Day  Morning."  Psa.  v.  Eight 
stanzas  ;  4  and  5  transposed,  and  the  last  three  omitted. 

Hymn  503.  "  See  how  the  morning  sun." — Scott. 

"A  Morning  Hymn ;"  containing  seven  verses ;  the 
fourth,  fifth,  and  sixth,  excluded.  The  hymn  originally 
commenced,  "  See  how  the  mounting  sun,"  &c. 

Hymn  504.  "  My  God,  how  endless  is  thy  love !" — Watts. 

"  A  Song  for  the  Morning  or  Evening."  Lam.  iii,  23 ; 
Isaiah  xlv,  1. 

Hymn  505.  "  Omnipresent  God,  whose  aid." — C.  Wesley. 

The  original  of  this  beautiful  hymn,  entitled,  "  At 
lying  down,"  contains  eight  stanzas ;  the  first,  fourth, 
and  seventh  of  which,  compose  our  hymn.  Of  the 
omitted  verses,  5  and  8  are  as  follow : — 

"  Only  tell  me  I  am  thine, 

And  thou  wilt  not  quit  thy  right ; 
Answer  me  in  dreams  divine, 

Dreams  and  visions  of  the  night : 
Bid  my  soul  in  sleep  go  on, 

Restlessly  its  God  desire ; 
Mourn  for  God  in  every  groan, 

God  in  every  thought  require." 

"  Or,  if  thou  my  soul  require, 

Ere  I  see  the  morning  light, 
Grant  me,  Lord,  my  heart's  desire, 

Perfect  me  in  love  to-night ; 
Finish  thy  great  work  of  love, 

Cut  it  short  in  righteousness  ; 
Fit  me  for  the  realms  above, 

Change,  and  bid  me  die  in  peace." 


402  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  506.  "  Awake,  my  soul,  to  meet  the  day." — Doddridge. 

Dr.  Doddridge  rose  at  five  o'clock  throughout  the 
year ;  and  he  made  the  act  of  rising  an  exercise  of 
devotion  in  this  hymn,  containing  seven  stanzas,  which 
he  entitled,  "  A  Morning  Hymn,  to  be  sung  at  Awak- 
ing and  Rising."  It  is  said  that  with  the  words  of  the 
third  verse — the  sixth  of  the  original — "As,  rising 
now,"  upon  his  lips,  he  sprang  out  of  bed.  Our  hymn 
is  composed  of  verses  1,  2,  6,  and  7.  As  a  specimen 
of  the  excluded  stanzas,  take  the  fourth, — 

"  My  moments  fly  with  winged  pace, 
And  swift  my  hours  are  hurl'd  ; 
And  death  with  rapid  march  comes  on 
T"  unveil  th'  eternal  world." 

Hymn  507.  "  Now  from  the  altar  of  our  hearts." — Mason. 

This  fine  old  hymn  is  entitled,  "  A  Song  of  Praise 
for  the  Evening ;"  and  is  inserted  here  in  its  primitive 
purity,  unalloyed  by  the  alterations  and  emendations 
of  modern  critics : — 

Now  from  the  altar  of  my  heart 

Let  incense  flames  arise, 
Assist  me,  Lord,  to  offer  up 

Mine  evening  sacrifice. 

Awake,  my  love ;  awake,  my  joy, 

Awake,  my  heart  and  tongue  ; 
Sleep  not  when  mercies  loudly  call ; 

Break  forth  into  a  song. 

Man's  life 's  a  book  of  history. 

The  leaves  thereof  are  days, 
The  letters,  mercies,  closely  join'd. 

The  title  is  thy  praise. 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGT  403 

This  day  God  was  my  sun  and  shield, 
My  keeper  and  my  guide, 

His  care  was  on  my  frailty  shown, 
His  mercies  multiplied. 

Minutes  and  mercies  multiplied 

Have  made  up  all  this  day  ; 
Minutes  came  cmick,  but  mercies  were 

More  fleet  and  free  than  they. 

New  time,  new  favors,  and  new  joys, 

1 1  ia  new  song  require ; 
Till  I  shall  praise  Thee  as  I  would 

Accept  my  heart's  desire. 

Lord  of  my  time,  whose  hand  hath  set 

New  time  upon  my  score, 
Then  shall  I  praise  for  all  my  time, 

When  time  shall  be  no  more. 


Excepting  the  third  verse,  this  certainly  is  one  of  the 
best  specimens  of  sacred  devotional  poetry  in  the  Eng- 
lish language,  whether  regard  be  had  to  the  thoughts 
contained  in  it,  or  to  the  manner  of  their  expression. 
The  poem  has  not  the  polish  of  a  Pope,  nor  the  ele- 
gance of  a  Wesley,  both  of  whom  our  author  preceded  : 
but  its  diction  is  far  before  the  prevailing  style  of  the 
age  ;  its  sentiments  are  lofty,  original,  and  uncommon  ; 
and  the  poem  ends  with  a  perfect  epigram.  The  volume 
from  which  it  was  taken  evidently  furnished  Watts  and 
Wesley  with  some  of  their  best  thoughts  ;  while  in  the 
third  stanza  of  the  above  hymn  is  found  the  germ  from 
which  Dr.  Franklin  extracted  the  conception  of  his  well- 
known  epitaph  upon  himself,  wherein  he  compares  his 
body  to  "  the  cover  of  an  old  book,  the  contents  torn 
out,  and  stripped  of  its  lettering  and  gilding,"  (fee. 


404  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  508.  "  Father,  to  thee  I  lift  mine  eyes."—  C.  Wesley. 

Another  of  our  poet's  excellent  hymns  "For  the 
Morning."  The  prayer  contained  in  the  third  verse  is 
admirable,  and  contains  suitable  petitions  to  be  offered 
up  to  our  Lord  for  his  protection  and  blessing  when  we 
are  about  entering  upon  the  duties  of  the  day,  or  going 
out  to  mix  with  the  world  and  its  concerns.  The  last 
couplet  is  particularly  expressive  : — 

"  Ever  apprised  of  danger  nigh, 
And  when  to  fight,  and  when  to  fly" 

Hymn  509.  "  Thus  far  the  Lord  hath  led  me  on."—  Watts. 

"  An  Evening  Hymn."  Psa.  lv,  8  ;  iii,  5,  6  ;  cxliii,  8. 
Two  stanzas,  4  and  5,  omitted.  The  former  reads 
thus, — 

"  In  vain  the  sons  of  earth  and  hell 

Tell  me  a  thousand  frightful  things  : 
My  God  in  safety  makes  me  dwell 
Beneath  the  shadow  of  his  wings." 

Hymn  510.  uO  God,  my  God,  my  all  thou  art."— J.  Wesley. 

An  exquisitely  beautiful  paraphrase  of  the  sixty-third 
Psalm,  being  a  translation  from  the  French,  by  the 
founder  of  Methodism,  entitled,  "  God  our  Portion." 
One  stanza,  the  fourth,  omitted.  A  late  writer  has 
noticed  this  hymn  thus :  "  But  there  is  one  which  stands 
pre-eminent,  and  which  is  almost  unrivaled  for  its  ele- 
vated devotional  feeling,  its  rich  evangelical  sentiment, 
its  simple  elegance  of  language,  and  the  accurate  and 
beautiful  manner  in  which,  without  any  apparent  effort, 
the  poet  has  interwoven  the  thoughts  and  expressions 
of  the  Psalmist  in  his  own  sacred  ode." — Christian 
Miscellany,  1846,  p.  68. 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGT.  405 

Hymn  511.  "  God,  only  -wise,  almighty,  good." 

Hymn  512.  "  Father  of  lights,  thy  needful  aid." — C.  Wesley. 

These  are  "  Hymns  for  Parents,"  and  inculcate  some 
most  excellent  lessons  for  the  proper  government  of  a 
household ;  among  which  that  contained  in  the  sixth 
verse,  hymn  511,  on  the  training  of  children,  is  not 
perhaps  the  least  important : — 

"  We  would  persuade  their  hearts  t'  obey ; 
With  mildest  zeal  proceed ; 
And  never  take  the  harsher  way, 
When  love  will  do  the  deed 

The  allusion,  in  the  fourth  verse,  to  the  thread  which 
guides  a  person  in  a  labyrinth,  and  prevents  him  from 
missing  his  way  and  being  lost,  is  very  striking  and 
beautiful : — 

"  And  lend  their  youth  a  sacred  clew 
To  find  tlie  Crucified." 

From  hymn  512  two  quatrains,  7  and  8,  are  omitted. 

Hymn  513.  "  How  shall  I  walk  my  God  to  please." — C.  Wesley. 
"  The  Master's  Hymn,"  containing  seven  stanzas ; 
4  and  5  excluded.  Verse  4  is  as  follows, — 

"  A  lion  in  my  house,  shall  I 
My  tame  inferiors  terrify, 

By  fierce  tyrannic  sway  ; 

Despotic  as  an  Eastern  prince, 

By  regal  arguments  convince, 

Compel  them  to  obey  ?" 

Such  treatment  can  only  make,  in  the  language  of 
the  next  stanza,  "  slaves  and  hypocrites."  But  there 
is  a  "  better  way,"  and  happy  is  every  "  master  "  of  a 
family  who  can  adopt  as  his  own  the  closing  language 
of  the  hymn  : — 


406  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

<:  Lowly  and  meek  in  heart,  I  see 
The  art  of  governing  like  thee 
Is  governing  by  love" 

Hymn  514.  "  Come,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost."—  C.  Wesley. 
This  almost  inimitable  hymn  was  composed  for,  and 
doubtless  originally  sung  "  At  the  Opening  of  a  School 
in  Kingswood."*  It  has  been  brought  as  a  charge,  in 
effect,  against  Mr.  John  Wesley,  that  he  preferred 
genuine  piety,  even  when  associated  with  ignorance, 
to  irreligion,  though  adorned  with  learning  and  the  ad- 
ventitious importance  which  wealth  alone  too  often 
confers ;  to  assert  this,  however,  is  only  saying  that  he 
had,  in  spirit,  sat  at  the  Saviour's  feet,  heard  his  word, 
and  learned  of  him.  But  he  saw  no  necessity  for  ei- 
ther ;  and  therefore  he  prayed  himself,  and,  by  putting 
the  words  into  his  Hymn-book,  instructed  his  societies 
and  followers  to  pray,  in  the  language  of  the  fifth 
verse, — 

"  Unite  the  pair  so  long  disjoin'd, 

Knowledge  and  vital  piety ; 
Learning  and  holiness  combined, 

And  truth  and  love,  let  all  men  see, 
In  these,  whom  up  to  thee  we  give, 
Thine,  wholly  thine,  to  die  and  live." 

The   fifth  line   of  the   second   verse   should   read, — 
"  Raised  by  the  nurture,"  not  the  "  nature,  of  the  Lord." 

Hymn  515.  "Master  supreme,  I  look  to  thee." 
Hymn  516.  "  I  and  my  house  will  serve  the  Lord." 
Hymn  517.  "Father  of  all,  by  whom  we  are." — C.  Wesley 

These  are  three  of  our  poet's  most  excellent  hymns 

*  For  a  description  of  the  character  of  the  Kingswood  colliers, 
see  remarks  on  hvmn  483. 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGT.  407 

for  masters  and  parents  ;  and  contain  sentiments,  which, 
if  carried  out  in  practical  life,  would  be  in  the  highest 
degree  beneficial  to  all  concerned  in  a  household. 
They  are  affectionately  recommended  by  the  writer  to 
all  for  whom  they  were  written,  feeling  assured  they 
cannot  fail  of  having  a  beneficial  tendency  when  pro- 
perly and  prayerfully  used. 

The  first  line  of  the  fifth  verse,  hymn  515,  originally 
read, — 

"  The  servant  faithful  and  discreet." 

Hymn  518.  "  Captain  of  our  salvation,  take." — C.  Wesley. 

This  is  one  of  "  Hymns  for  Children,  and  others  of 
Riper  Years." 

Hymn  519.  "  The  power  to  bless  my  house." — C.  Wesley. 

"  And  all  the  people  departed,  every  man  to  his 
house;  and  David  returned  to  bless  his  house." 
1  Chron.  xvi,  43.     Two  quatrains  omitted. 

Hymn  520.  "  God  of  my  life,  to  thee."—  C.  Wesley. 

This  was  composed  by  the  author — "  On  his  Birth- 
day." Two  stanzas,  the  fifth  and  seventh,  have  been 
excluded.     On  the  last  two  lines  of  the  hymn, 

"  Like  Moses,  to  thyself  convey, 
And  kiss  my  raptured  soid  away," 

Mr.  Burgess  remarks : — "  This  bold  and  singular 
idea  is  founded  on  a  Jewish  tradition,  relative  to  the 
death  of  that  eminent  man,  (Moses.)  We  read,  (Deut. 
xxxiv,  5,)  that  Moses  died  according  to  the  word  of  the 
Lord,  or,  literally,  from  the  Hebrew,  at  the  mouth  of 
Jehovah  ;  which  by  some  of  the  Jewish  rabbins  is  inter- 


408  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

preted  as  meaning,  that  God  drew  the  soul  or  spirit  of 
Moses  out  of  his  body  with  a  kiss."  Dr.  Watts,  in  his 
"  Lyric  Poems,"  in  the  poem  on  "  the  death  of  Moses," 
has  precisely  the  same  idea : — 

"  Softly  his  fainting  head  he  lay 

Upon  his  Maker's  breast ; 

His  Maker  kiss'd  his  soul  away, 

And  laid  his  flesh  to  rest." 

Some  persons  deem  it  improper  to  introduce  such 
sentiments  into  the  psalmody  of  the  Christian  church. 
We  confess,  to  our  mind,  there  is  nothing  objectionable 
in  either  of  the  above  instances ;  but  rather  a  most 
delicate,  though  striking,  touch  of  the  sublime  and 
beautiful. 

Hymn  521.  "  Away  with  our  fears  !" — C.  Wesley. 

As  the  preceding  hymn  was  written  by  the  poet  on 
his  own  birthday,  so  he  wrote  this  for  his  brother  John, 
"On  his  Birthday."  Two  stanzas,  the  second  and 
eighth,  omitted ;  the  latter  contains  what  but  few  per- 
sons, besides  the  founder  of  Methodism,  could  say  of 
their  friends : — 

"  How  rich  in  friends,  Thy  providence  sends, 
To  help  my  infirmity  on ; 
What  a  number  I  see,  Who  could  suffer  for  me, 
And  ransom  my  life  vjiih  their  own  /" 

Verse  8  alludes  to  the  work  of  God  which  was  carried 
on  by  his  instrumentality  in  Europe  and  America : — 

"  With  my  pastoral  crook,  I  went  over  the  brook, 
And  behold  I  am  spread  into  bands." 

The  hymn  was  inserted  in  the  English  Hymn-book 
about  eleven  years  before  his  death,  and,  says  Mr. 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  409 

Jackson,  very  correctly  expresses  the  predominant  feel- 
ing of  his  heart  at  this  period  of  his  life. 

Hymn  522.  "  The  Lord  of  sabbath  let  us  praise." — S.  Wesley,  Jun. 
The  first  four  stanzas,  which  constitute  a  complete 
hymn,  are  entitled,  "  A  Hymn  for  Sunday."  Verses 
5  and  6  belong  to  another  hymn  of  the  same  author : 
3  and  4  are  of  great  excellence,  the  couplet, 

"  'Twas  great  to  speak  a  world  from  naught ; 
'Twas  greater  to  redeem  !" 

being  equal  to  any  in  the  language,  if  indeed  it  can  be 
equaled,  except  in  the  sacred  writings.  "  There  is 
nothing,  even  in  the  poetry  of  his  brother  Charles,  to 
exceed  the  energy  of  the  thoughts  and  expression  in 
the  third  and  fourth  verses." — Floy. 

Hymn  523.  "  Our  Lord  is  risen  from  the  dead." — C.  Wesley. 

"  Lift  up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates ;  and  be  ye  lifted 
up,  ye  everlasting  doors ;  and  the  King  of  glory  shall 
come  in,"  &c.  Psalm  xxiv,  7-10. 

Hymn  524.  "  He  dies !  the  Friend  of  sinners  dies  !" —  Watts. 

"  Christ  dying,  rising,  and  reigning."  The  author 
wrote  the  first  quatrain  thus, — 

"  He  dies !  the  heavenly  Lover  dies ! 
The  tidings  strike  a  doleful  sound 
On  my  poor  heart-strings :  deep  he  lies 
In  the  cold  caverns  of  the  ground." 

Hymn  525.  "  Ye  faithful  souls,  who  Jesus  know." — C.  Wesley. 

The  first  four  stanzas  are  founded  on  Colos.  iii,  1, 

2  ;   and  the  last  two  on  verses  3  and  4  of  the  same 

chapter. 

18 


410  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  526.  "  Sweet  is  the  work,  my  God,  my  King." — Watts. 

"A  Psalm  for  the  Lord's  Day:"  the  first  part  of 
Psalm  xcii:  three  stanzas,  3,  4,  and  6,  omitted;  the 
first  of  which  is  as  follows  : — 

"  Fools  never  raise  their  thoughts  so  high  ; 
Like  hrutes  they  live,  like  brutes  they  die ; 
Like  grass  they  flourish,  till  Thy  breath 
Blasts  them  in  everlasting  death." 

Hymn  527.  "  May  I,  throughout  this  day  of  thine." — C.  Wesley. 
"I  was  in  the  spirit  on  the  Lord's  day."  Rev.  i,  10. 

Hymn  528.  "  Welcome,  sweet  day  of  rest." —  Watts. 
"  The  Lord's  Day ;  or,  Delight  in  Ordinances." 

Hymn  529.  "  Return,  my  soul,  enjoy  thy  rest." — J.  Stennett. 

A  poem  "  On  the  Sabbath,"  containing  fourteen 
stanzas ;  the  first,  fourth,  tenth,  eleventh,  twelfth,  and 
thirteenth  of  which,  constitute  our  hymn.  Hymn  695 
is  the  same,  with  alterations,  and  the  omission  of  two 
verses.  In  neither  version  is  preserved  the  integrity 
of  the  original  text.  This  old. hymn  has  many  admirers  ; 
and  as  verses  1,  2,  3,  and  5,  have  undergone  the  great- 
est alterations,  they  are  here  presented  as  the  author 
wrote  them : — 

"  Another  six  days'  work  is  done ; 

Another  sabbath  is  begun : 

Return,  my  soul,  unto  thy  rest ; 

Revere  the  day  thy  God  has  bless'd. 

"  For  servile  work  six  days  are  given  ; 
For  sacred  use  but  one  in  seven  : 
When  for  my  work  God  gives  such  time, 
Shall  I  begrudge  a  day  to  him  ? 

"  0  that  my  thoughts  and  words  may  rise 
As  incense  to  propitious  skies; 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  411 

And  fetch  from  heaven  that  sweet  repose 
Which  none  but  he  that  feels  it  knows. 

"  "With  joy  God's  wondrous  works  I  view, 
In  various  scenes,  both  old  and  new: 
"With  praise  I  think  on  mercies  past ; 
With  hope,  of  future  pleasures  taste." 

Hymn  530.  "  The  Saviour  meets  his  flock  to-day." — Cennick. 

The  title  of  this  is,  "  Before  going  to  Church :"  five 
stanzas  ;  the  second  omitted.  The  emendations  in  this 
hymn  are  so  numerous  as  to  change  almost  entirely  the 
character  of  some  of  the  stanzas.  Take,  for  example, 
the  third, — 

"  Then,  0  my  Lord,  permit  me  power, 
And,  like  the  saint,  I  '11  watch  for  thee ; 
Content  to  wait  th'  appointed  hour, 

When  thou  shalt  be  reveal'd  in  me : 
Daily  my  soul  within  thy  gate 
Shall  for  thy  gracious  coming  wait." 

The  first  line  of  the  second  verse  should  read, — 

"  How  long  did  faithful  Anna  wait  ?" 

The  omitted  stanza  is  incorrigible. 

Hymn  531.  "  Come,  Holy  Ghost,  our  hearts  inspire." 
Hymn  532.  "Father  of  all,  in  whom  alone." — C.  Wesley. 

These  are  two  beautiful  and  appropriate  hymns  to 
be  used  "  Before  reading  the  Scriptures."  The  second 
stanza  of  hymn  531  is  always  sung  in  Wesleyan 
churches  in  England  just  before  preaching,  the  con- 
gregation standing : —  « 

"  Come,  Holy  Ghost,  for,  moved  by  thee, 
The  prophets  wrote  and  spoke ; 
Unlock  the  truth,  thyself  the  key, 
Unseal  the  sacred  book." 


412  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  533.  "  Inspirer  of  the  ancient  seers." — C.  Wesley. 

"  All  Scripture  is  given  by  inspiration  of  God,  and  is 
profitable  for  doctrine,  for  reproof,  for  correction,  for 
instruction  in  righteousness  :  that  the  man  of  God  may 
be  perfect,  thoroughly  furnished  unto  all  good  works." 
2  Tim.  iii,  16,  17. 

Hymn  534.  "  The  counsels  of  redeeming  grace." — S.  Stennett. 

This  is  entitled  "  The  Riches  of  God's  Word,"  and 
commences  with  the  following  two  verses,  which  are 
omitted  from  the  Hymn-book, — 

"  Let  avarice,  from  shore  to  shore, 
Her  fav'rite  god  pursue, 
Thy  word,  0  Lord,  we  value  more 
Than  India  or  Peru. 

"  Her  mines  of  knoAvleclge,  love,  and  joy, 
Are  open'd  to  our  sight ; 
The  purest  gold  without  alloy, 
And  gems  divinely  bright." 

Hymn  535.  "  Father  of  mercies,  in  thy  word." — Steele. 

"  The  Excellency  of  the  Holy  Scriptures :"  twelve 
stanzas;  1,  3,  4,  9,  11,  and  12  of  which,  compose  our 
hymn. 

Hymn  536.  "  Spirit  of  truth,  essential  God." — C.  Wesley. 

"All  Scripture  is  given  by  inspiration  of  God."  2  Tim. 
iii,  16.  "  Holy  men  of  God  spake  as  they  were  moved 
by  the  Holy  Ghost."  2  Pet.  i,  21.  The  author  wrote 
the  fifth  line  of  verse  3  thus, — 

"  In  each  the  triune  God  adore." 

Hymn  537.  "  Leader  of  faithful  souls,  and  guide."— C.  Wesley. 
The  title  of  this  is,  "The  Traveler,"  and  contains 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOOY.  418 

eight  stanzas,  the  fifth  and  seventh  of  which  are  ex- 
cluded. 

It  has  been  remarked  in  reference  to  the  poetry  of 
Charles  Wesley,  that  he  seldom  makes  any  allusion  to 
natural  objects,  which  is  so  characteristic  of  Dr.  Watts. 
It  is  true  that  nature's  God,  and  his  dealings  with  man, 
together  with  man's  degeneracy,  his  duty  to  offended 
Deity,  and  Christian  experience,  through  all  its  grades, 
from  the  first  dawn  of  a  desire  for  salvation  to  the 
transports  of  perfect  love,  constitute  the  chief  glory  of 
Charles  Wesley's  hymns ;  but  that  he  was  not  entirely 
blind  to  the  beauties  of  nature  may  be  fairly  inferred 
from  the  following  omitted  stanza : — 

"  Even  now  we  taste  the  pleasures  there, 

A  cloud  of  spicy  odors  comes, 
Soft  wafted  by  the  balmy  air, 

Sweeter  than  Araby's  perfumes ; 
From  Zion's  top  the  breezes  blow, 
And  cheer  us  in  the  vale  below." 

Hymn  538.  "  I  long  to  behold  Him  array'd."— C.  Wesley. 

"  Thine  eyes  shall  see  the  King  in  his  beauty :  they 
shall  behold  the  land  that  is  very  far  off."  Isaiah  xxxiii, 
17.  "The  inhabitant  shall  not  say,  I  am  sick."  Isaiah 
xxxiii,  24.  The  first  two  stanzas  are  founded  upon  the 
former,  and  the  third  stanza  on  the  latter,  text. 

Hymn  539.  "  There  is  a  land  of  pure  delight." — Watts. 

"  A  Prospect  of  Heaven  makes  Death  easy."  Two 
stanzas,  four  and  five,  are  omitted  ;  the  former  is  ex- 
pressive, but  differs  in  idea  from  the  title  : — 

"  But  tim'rous  mortals  start  and  shrink 
To  cross  this  narrow  sea ; 
And  linger,  shiv'ring  on  the  brink, 
And  fear  to  launch  away? 


414  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Dr.  S.  Stennett  probably  bad  tbis  verse  in  his  mind 
when  be  composed  tbe  following  stanza ;  but  he  has 
improved  it :  his  "  mortal "  is  not  the  least  "  timorous." 
How  delightfully  he  sings  : — 

"  Fill'd  with  delight,  my  raptured  sotd 
"Would  here  no  longer  stay ! 
Though  Jordan's  waves  around  me  roll, 
Fearless  I'd  launch  away.'" 

Watts  wrote  bis  hymns  in  early  life,  in  the  beautiful 
town  of  Southampton,  a  spot  in  view  of  the  enchanting 
Isle  of  Wight.  Tradition  points  out  the  place,  where, 
just  across  the  channel,  that  sweet  island  presents 
itself  to  the  enraptured  sight,  and  we  are  told  that  here 
be  wrote  this  hymn.  The  whole  hymn  derives  a  fine 
illustration  from  the  scenery,  especially  such  lines  as, 

"  There  everlasting  spring  abides, 
And  never-fading  flowers ; 
Death,  like  a  narrow  sea,  divides 
This  heavenly  land  from  ours. 

"  Sweet  fields  beyond  the  swelling  flood 
Stand  dress'd  in  living  green ; 
So  to  the  Jews  old  Canaan  stood, 
While  Jordan  roll'd  between." 

Hymn  540.  "  Thou,  Lord,  on  whom  I  still  depend." — C.  Wesley. 

"  Be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a 
crown  of  life,"  &c.  Rev.  ii,  10,  11,  17.  Three  stanzas 
rejected. 

Hymn  541.  "Away  with  our  sorrow  and  fear." 

Hymn  542.  "  We  know,  by  faith  we  know." — C.  Wesley. 

These  are  two  of  our  poet's  inimitably  sublime  and 
beautiful  Funeral  Hymns.  The  imagery  of  hymn  541 
is  taken  from  the  description  of  "  that  great  city,  the 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  415 

holy  Jerusalem,  descending  from  God  out  of  heaven," 
recorded  in  the  twenty-first  chapter  of  Revelation.  If 
the  reader  would  properly  appreciate  the  surpassing 
grandeur  of  tins  composition,  he  must  peruse  it  in  con- 
nection with  the  passage  of  Scripture  to  which  we  have 
alluded.  St.  John  the  divine,  and  Charles  Wesley  the 
poet  of  Methodism,  drew  their  inspiration  from  the  same 
sacred  source — the  perennial  spring  of  divine  love — 
and  consecrated  their  sanctified  genius  to  the  same  holy 
purposes.  The  second  stanza  has  been  omitted  from 
hymn  542 : — 

"  Beneath  our  earthly  load 

We  labor  now  and  groan, 
And  hasten  toward  that  house  of  God, 

And  struggle  to  be  gone  : 
We  would  not,  Lord,  desire 

An  end  of  misery, 
But  Thee  our  earnest  souls  require, 

We  long  to  die  for  thee." 

Hymn  543.  "  The  church  in  the  militant  state." — C.  Wesley. 

"  The  Spirit  and  the  bride  say,  Come.  And  let  him 
that  heareth  say,  Come."  Rev.  xxii,  17. 

Hymn  544.  "  Lift  your  eyes  of  faith,  and  see." 

Hymn  545.  "  Who  are  these  array'd  in  white." — C.  Wesley. 

These  were  originally  published  in  the  volume  en- 
titled, "Hymns  on  the  Lord's  Supper,"  under  the  head, 
"  The  Sacrament,  a  Pledge  of  Heaven."  The  author 
wrote  in  the  first  line  of  hymn  545,  "What  are  these?" 
&c,  which  is  a  most  admirable  paraphrase  of  Revela- 
tion vii,  13-17,  "What  are  these  which  are  arrayed  in 
white  robes  ?  and  whence  came  they  ?"  &c.  Mr.  Mont- 
gomery has  written  a  hymn  on  the  same  passage  of 


416  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Scripture,  entitled,  "The  Song  of  the  Hundred  and 
Forty  and  Four  Thousand,"  commencing, 
"  "What  are  these  in  bright  array  f 

in  which  he  has  imitated  Charles  Wesley  in  meter, 
matter,  and  manner.  This,  we  think,  will  appear  evi- 
dent from  the  following  collation  of  the  last  stanza  of 
Montgomery's  hymn,  with  the  same  number  of  lines 
from  Wesley's,  which  are  printed  in  italics : — 

"  Hunger,  thirst,  disease,  iinknown, 
Hunger  now  and  thirst  no  more, 
On  immortal  fruits  they  feed, 
Them  the  Lamb  shall  always  feed, 
Them  the  Lamb  amidst  the  throne, 
He  that  on  the  throne  doth  reign, 
Shall  to  living  fountains  lead, 
To  the  living  fountains  lead, 
Joy  and  gladness  banish  sighs, 
All  their  wants  at  once  remove, 
Perfect  love  dispels  their  fears, 
Fill  up  every  soul  with  love, 
And  for  ever  from  their  eyes 
He  shall  all  their  sorrows  chase, 
God  shall  wipe  away  the  tears, 
Wipe  the  tears  from  every  face ." 

Hymn  546.  "  On  Jordan's  stormy  banks  I  stand." — S.  Stennett. 
"  The  Promised   Land."     A  close  imitation  of  Dr. 
Watts 's  beautiful  hymn,  (see  539,)  beginning, — 

"  There  is  a  land  of  pure  delight." 
The  last  stanza  was  added  by  a  later  hand. 

Hymn  547.  "  My  span  of  life  will  soon  be  done." 

"  For  what  is  your  life  ?    It  is  even  a  vapor,  that 
appeareth  for  a  little  time."  James  iv,  14.    This  hymn 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  41*? 

■was  inserted  in  the  second  part  of  the  double  Hymn- 
book,  "  compiled  under  the  direction  of  Bishop  Asbury," 
in  1809.  The  authorship  is  unknown.  The  first  qua- 
train of  the  fourth  verse  has  been  thought  by  some  to 
contain  Calvinistic  tenets  : — 

"  Ere  first  I  drew  this  vital  breath, 
From  nature's  prison  free, 
Crosses  in  number,  measure,  weight, 
Were  written.  Lord,  for  me." 

Hymn  548.  "  How  happy  is  the  pilgrim's  lot." — J.  Wesley. 

This  old  familiar  hymn  is  entitled,  "  The  Pilgrim ;" 
and,  including  one  omitted  verse,  with  much  propriety 
might  be  considered  an  epitome  of  Mr.  John  Wesley's 
autobiography.  In  the  first  stanza  he  speaks  of  the 
"  pilgrim,"  meaning  himself,  in  the  third  person,  thus, — 

';  Confined  to  neither  court  nor  cell, 
His  soul  disdains  on  earth  to  dwell, 
lie  only  sojourns  here." 

But  in  the  second,  and  every  succeeding  stanza,  the 
pronoun  is  changed  from  the  third  to  the  first  person  ; 
and  he  no  longer  says  he  and  his,  but  /  and  my  ;  hence 
every  verse  of  the  hymn  contains  personal  allusions  to 
some  extraordinary  traits  in  the  character  of  the  vene- 
rable founder  of  Methodism.  Although  there  is,  in  the 
first  stanza,  a  general  reference  to  the  happiness  of 
the  Christian  pilgrim ;  that  it  has  also  special  reference 
to  himself,  as  above  intimated,  is  evident  from  the  very 
first  line  of  the  next  verse,  wherein  he  exclaims,  "  This 
happiness  mpart  is  mine!" — but  it  must  have  been  the 
better  part,  as  it  produced  in  him  a  scorn  of  creature  love 
and  finite  good.  In  the  third  stanza  we  hear  him  re- 
nounce the  honors,  wealth,  and  pleasures,  of  the  world ; 
18* 


418  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

in  the  fourth,  we  are  told,  although  he  has  no  babes  to 
bind  him  here,  he  has  children  dearer  to  him  than  sons 
or  daughters ;  in  the  fifth,  we  have  the  characteristic 
fact  that  he  owns  not  one  foot  of  land  ;  in  the  sixth,  he 
calls  himself  a  stranger  seeking  a  city  out  of  sight ;  in 
the  seventh,  he  tells  us  angels  are  beckoning  him  away, 
and  Jesus  calls  him  home  ;  and  in  the  last,  he  declares 
his  readiness  to  obey  the  summons,  desires  that  his  pil- 
grimage may  end,  and  asks  to  be  received  to  the  bosom 
of  his  Saviour  and  Friend. 

The  perusal  of  this  hymn  is  calculated  to  bring  many 
reminiscences  to  the  mind  familiar  with  events  in  the 
life  of  the  author ;  one  of  which  may  be  mentioned 
here,  in  which  Mr.  Wesley  himself  quotes  a  stanza  of 
the  hymn.  Not  long  before  he  ended  his  useful  life  of 
glory  and  of  shame,  some  unprovoked  and  unjust  at- 
tacks were  made  upon  his  moral  character.  His  reply 
was  : — "  I  am  not  a  man  of  duplicity.  I  am  not  an  old 
hypocrite,  a  double-tongued  knave.  I  now  tell  a  plain 
tale,  that  the  good  which  is  in  one  may  not  be  evil- 
spoken  of.  I  have  no  temporal  end  to  serve.  I  seek 
not  the  honor  that  cometh  of  men.  It  is  not  for  plea- 
sure that,  at  this  time  of  life,  I  travel  three  or  four 
thousand  miles  a  year.     It  is  not  for  gain : — 

'  No  foot  of  land  do  I  possess, 
No  cottage  in  the  wilderness ; 

A  poor  wayfaring  man, 
I  lodge  awhile  in  tents  below, 
Or  gladly  wander  to  and  fro, 
Till  I  my  Canaan  gain.' " 

The  eloquent  Rev.  Samuel  Bradburn,  long  his  inti- 
mate friend,  in  his  sketch  of  Mr.  Wesley's  character, 
says  of  him,  that  after  astonishing  the  world  by  the 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  419 

labors  of  his  ministry  for  more  than  half  a  century,  "to 
the  close  of  his  life  he  could  boldly  declare,  without 
fearing  to  be  confronted, — 

'  The  things  eternal  I  pursue, 
A  happiness  beyond  the  view 

Of  those  who  basely  pant 
For  things  by  nature  felt  and  seen ; 
Their  honors,  wealth,  and  pleasures  mean, 

I  neither  have  nor  icant? 

I  can  scarcely  refrain,"  continues  Mr.  Bradburn,  "from 
exclaiming, — 

'  0  for  a  clap  of  thunder,  as  loud 
As  to  be  heard  throughout  the  universe, 
To  tell  the  world  the  fact,  and  to  applaud  it.' " 

The  fourth  stanza  is  omitted;  for  which,  and  some 
further  remarks  on  this  hymn,  see  pages  144,  145. 

IIymx  549.  "  Still  out  of  the  deepest  abyss." — C.  Wesley. 

One  of  the  "  Redemption  Hymns."  "This  hymn," 
says  Dr.  Floy,  "  is  in  the  strong  language  which  can  be 
used  only  by  one  who  has  fought  and  gained  the  vic- 
tory. It  is  doubtful  whether  even  such  a  one  ought  to 
indulge  in  '  passionate  longings  for  home.'  "  This 
thought  occurs  in  several  of  Charles  Wesley's  hymns. 

Hymn  550.  "Thee  we  adore,  eternal  Name!" — Watts. 

"  Frail  Life  and  Succeeding  Eternity."  The  writer 
above  quoted,  referring  to  this  hymn,  says  the  author's 
"  muse  delighted  to  dwell  on  gloomy  subjects."  The 
conceit  of  the  last  couplet  of  verse  2  is  not  less  "  gloomy  " 
than  trite  : — 

"  And  every  beating  pulse  we  tell 
Leaves  bid  the  number  less." 


420  METHODIST    HY^NOLOGY. 

Hymn  551.  "  And  am  I  born  to  die  ?" 

Hymn  552.  "  And  am  I  only  born  to  die  ?" — C.  Wesley. 

Two  of  the  Methodist  poet's  excellent  Hymns  for 
Children,  and  others  of  riper  years. 

Hymn  553.  "  0  God!  our  help  in  ages  past." — Watts. 

"  Man  frail,  and  God  eternal."  Psalm  xc,  1-5.   Two 
stanzas,  4  and  8,  are  omitted  ;  the  latter  reads  thus, — 

"Like  flow'ry  fields  the  nations  stand, 
Pleased  with  the  morning  light ; 
The  flowers  beneath  the  mower's  hand 
Lie  withering  ere  'tis  night." 

Hymn  554.  "And  must  this  body  die." — Watts. 

"  Triumph  over  Death  in  Hope  of  the  Resurrection." 
The  couplet  of  verse  2, 

"  Corruption,  earth,  and  worms, 
Shall  but  refine  this  flesh," 

and  another  in  Harts's  hymn,  5*70, 

"  Thy  flesh,  perhaps  thy  greatest  care, 
Shall  crawling  worms  consume" 

in  the  opinion  of  some,  teach  not  only  a  very  unplea- 
sant, but  an  untenable,  doctrine,  namely,  that  our  bodies 
will  be  eaten  by  worms  after  they  are  deposited  in  the 
grave.  There  appeared  in  the  Christian  Advocate  and 
Journal,  vol.  xxi,  No.  13,  p.  52,  an  article  by  a  corres- 
pondent, throwing  much  doubt  upon,  if  not  entirely 
disproving,  the  very  existence  of  such  a  reptile  as  the 
grave-worm.  In  some  prefatory  remarks  to  this  article, 
the  venerable  and  learned  editor  says  of  his  correspond- 
ent : — "  Although  we  must  take  time  to  consider  the 
matter  before  we  make  up  a  decided  judgment,  we  are 
free  to  say,  that  he  has  led  us  to  suspect  that  poets, 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGV.  421 

not  philosophy  nor  observation,  have  produced  the 
almost  universal  admission  of  the  hypothesis,  that 
worms  destroy  the  human  body  in  the  depths  of  the 
grave."     See  observations  on  hymn  666. 

Hymn  555.  "  And  let  this  feeble  body  fail." — C.  Wesley. 

"  The  sufferings  of  this  present  time  are  not  worthy 
to  be  compared  with  the  glory  which  shall  be  revealed 
in  us."  Rom.  viii,  18.  Eighteen  quatrains;  1,  2,  3,  4, 
9,  11,  17,  and  18  of  which,  compose  our  hymn.  The 
omitted  quatrains,  except  15  and  1C,  are  subjoined  in 
their  proper  connection : 

"  Surely  he  will  not  long  delay; 

I  hear  his  Spirit  cry, 
'  Arise,  my  love,  make  haste  away  ! 

Go,  get  thee  up  and  die. 
O'er  death,  who  now  has  lost  his  sting, 

I  give  the  victory  ; 
And  with  me  my  reward  I  bring, 

I  bring  my  heaven  for  thee.' 

"  Lord,  I  the  welcome  word  receive, 

Thee  on  the  mount  adore, 
For  thy  dear  sake  content  to  live 

Some  painful  moments  more  : 
I  live  in  holy  grief  and  joy, 

On  Pisgah1s  top  I  stand, 
And  life's  important  point  employ, 

To  view  the  promised  land." 

"  0  what  hath  Jesus  bought  for  me ! 

Before  my  ravish'd  eyes 
Rivers  of  life  divine  I  see, 

And  trees  of  paradise  ! 
They  flourish  in  perpetual  bloom, 

Fruit  every  month  they  give  : 
And  to  the  healing  leaves  who  come 

Eternally  shall  live. 


422  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

"  I  sec  a  world  of  spirits  bright, 

Who  reap  the  pleasures  there ! 
They  all  are  robed  in  spotless  white, 

And  conqu'ring  palms  they  bear : 
Adorn'd  by  their  Redeemer's  grace, 

They  close  pursue  the  Lamb, 
And  every  shining  front  displays 

Th'  unutterable  name. 

"  They  drink  the  vivifying  stream, 

They  pluck  th'  ambrosial  fruit, 
And  each  records  the  praise  of  Him 

Who  tuned  his  golden  lute  : 
At  once  they  strike  th'  harmonious  wire, 

And  hymn  the  great  Three-one  : 
He  hears ;  he  smiles ;  and  all  the  choir 

Fall  down  before  his  throne." 

The  author  wrote  the  last  couplet  of  the  hymn  thus, — 

"  /  come  to  find  them  all  again 
In  that  eternal  day." 

Hymn  556.  "  Happy  soul,  thy  clays  are  ended." — C.  Wesley. 

This  was  composed  for  a  dying  person,  and  is  en- 
titled, "  For  One  departing."  It  is  a  very  appropriate 
hymn  for  so  solemn  an  occasion. 

Hymn  557.  "Ah,  lovely  appearance  of  death  !" — C.  Wesley 

"  On  the  Sight  of  a  Corpse,"  from  the  author's 
Funeral  Hymns.  There  are,  and  always  have  been,  a 
great  variety  of  opinions  in  reference  to  this  hymn. 
One  writer  says,  it  is  in  a  strain  of  hyper-hyperbole, 
and  might  well  be  superseded  ;  and  our  brethren  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  have  excluded  it 
from  their  excellent  new  Hymn-book. 

The  first  line  of  the  hymn  was  probably  suggested 
to  the  mind  of  the  poet  by  a  passage  on  the  death  of 


METHODIST    HYMXOLOGT.  423 

the  young  and  beautiful  Narcissa,  in  "  The  Complaint," 
Night  third.     Dr.  Young  thus  sings, — 

"  Like  blossom'd  trees  o'erturn'd  by  vernal  storm, 
Lovely  in  death  the  beauteous  ruin  lay; 
And  if  in  death  still  lovely,  lovelier  there; 
Far  lovelier ;  pity  swells  the  tide  of  love." 

Mrs.  Hemans  also  has  a  similar  passage  : — 

"  And  is  this  death,  dread  thing ! 
If  such  thy  visiting, 

How  beautiful  thou  art  /" 

Mr.  Burgess  says:  "This  is  a  very  fine  and  deeply 
affecting  hymn.  To  the  death  of  a  Christian  believer 
it  is  very  appropriate  ;  though  it  is  only  under  peculiar 
circumstances,  and  for  a  very  short  time,  that  we  can 
ever  pronounce  the  appearance  of  death  lovely.  It  is 
only  when  we  lose  sight  of  the  degradation  of  the  body, 
and  are  powerfully  impressed  with  an  assurance  of  the 
safety  and  felicity  of  the  soul,  that  we  can  enter  into 
the  poet's  views  and  feelings.  And  allowing  that  the 
poetry  is  beautiful  and  excellent  in  a  high  degree,  there 
are,  notwithstanding,  expressions  which  cannot  be  justi- 
fied ;  such  as, 

'  In  love  with  the  beautiful  clay, 
And  longing  to  lie  in  its  stead.' 

1  Whose  relics  with  envy  I  see.' 

The  wish  expressed  in  the  last  verse  is  quite  in  unison 
with  the  feelings  of  one  who  is  wrought  up  into  a  sort 
of  poetic  phrensy, — 

'  What  now  with  my  tears  I  bedew, 
0  might  I  this  moment  become  !' 

Such  words,  if  uttered  by  any  but  a  true  believer, 


424  METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY. 

would  evince  presumption  and  madness,  and  would  be 
equivalent  to  a  prayer  for  instant  damnation." 

The  first  and  last  verses  of  this  hymn  ought  never, 
on  any  occasion,  to  be  given  out  for  singing. 

Hymn  558.  "  Rejoice  for  a  brother  deceased." 

Hymn  559.  "  ;Tis  finish'd,  'tis  done,  the  spirit  is  fled." 

Hymn  560.  "  Hosanna  to  Jesus  on  high !" 

Hymn  561.  t;  Blessing,  honor,  thanks,  and  praise." — C.  Wesley. 

Four  of  our  poet's  inimitable  Funeral  Hymns. 
Verse  3  of  558  was  a  favorite  with  the  author  him- 
self, in  the  decline  of  life.  Mr.  Moore  relates  the  fol- 
lowing anecdote  of  him  when  nearly  eighty  years  of 
age.  His  appearance  and  habits  were  peculiar.  "He 
rode,"  says  he,  "  every  day  (clothed  for  winter  even  in 
summer)  a  little  horse,  gray  with  age.  When  he 
mounted,  if  a  subject  struck  him,  he  proceeded  to  ex- 
pand and  put  it  in  order.  He  would  write  a  hymn 
thus  given  him  on  a  card,  (kept  for  that  purpose,)  with 
his  pencil,  in  short  hand.  Not  unfrequently  he  has 
come  to  the  house  in  the  City-road,  and,  having  left 
the  pony  in  the  garden  in  front,  he  would  enter,  crying 
out,  'Pen  and  ink!  pen  and  ink!'  These  being  sup- 
plied, he  wrote  the  hymn  he  had  been  composing 
When  this  was  done,  he  would  look  round  on  those 
present,  and  salute  them  with  much  kindness,  and  thus 
put  all  in  mind  of  eternity.  He  was  fond  of  the 
following  stanza  upon  those  occasions  : — 

(  There  all  the  ship's  company  meet, 
Who  sail'd  with  the  Saviour  beneath  ; 
With  shouting  each  other  they  greet, 

And  triumph  o'er  sorrow  and  death. 
The  voyage  of  life 's  at  an  end, 
The  mortal  affliction  is  past ; 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  425 

The  age  that  in  heaven  they  spend 
For  ever  and  ever  shall  last.' " 

Hymn  559  is  characterized  by  an  admirable  union  of 
sentiment  and  expression,  and  joyousness  of  meter. 
Where  can  be  found  in  our  language  a  more  striking 
exemplification  of  the  beautiful  thought  in  Thomson's 
much-admired  line, 

"  Come,  then,  expressive  silence,  muse  his  praise" 

than   in  the   allusion  to  the  seraphim,  in  the  fourth 

stanza  ? — 

"  0  Jesus  !  lead  on  thy  militant  care ; 
And  give  us  the  crown  of  righteousness  there, 
Where,  dazzled  with  glory,  the  seraphim  gaze ; 
Or  prostrate  adore  thee,  in  silence  of  praise." 

In  the  second  quatrain  of  verse  2,  hymn  5 GO,  de- 
scribing the  glorious  appearance  of  the  Saviour,  our 
poet  thus  sings : — 

"  He  looks — and  his  servants  in  light 
The  blessings  ineffable  meet : 
He  smiles — and  they  faint  at  his  sight, 
And  fall  ovenvhelm'd  at  his  feet." 

These  lines  probably  suggested  to  Muhlenberg  the 
fine  idea  in  the  last  line  of  his  hymn,  "  I  would  not 
live  ahvay :" — 

"  And  the  smile  of  the  Lord  is  the  feast  of  the  soul." 

Hyjin  562.  "  Why  should  we  start  and  fear  to  die." 

Hymn  563.  "  Hark  !  from  the  tombs  a  doleful  sound."—  Watts. 

These  are  two  of  Dr.  Watts's  hymns  on  the  subject 
of  death,  and  its  attendant  circumstances.  The  first  is 
entitled,  "  Christ's  Presence  makes  Death  easy :"  the 
second,  "  A  Funeral  Thought,"  May  both  the  writer 
and  the  reader,   when  they  come    to  that  inevitable 


426  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

event,  to  which  there  is  so  delightful  allusion  in  the  last 
verse  of  hymn  562,  experience  in  their  own  souls  the 
truth  of  those  oft-quoted  and  familiar  lines, — 

"  Jesus  can  make  a  dying  bed 

Feel  soft  as  downy  pillows  are, 
While  on  his  breast  I  lean  my  head, 
And  breathe  my  life  out  sweetly  there." 

Hymn  564.  "  Hark  !  a  voice  divides  the  sky." — C.  Wesley. 

Another  Fimeral  Hymn.  The  antithesis  in  the  second 
quatrain  of  the  third  double  stanza  is  perfect  and 
striking : — 

"  When  from  flesh  the  spirit  freed, 
Hastens  homeward  to  return, 
Mortals  cry,  '  A  man  is  deadV 
Angels  sing, '  A  child  is  born  P  " 

It  not  only  exhibits  a  pleasing  opposition  of  ideas, 
and  great  ingenuity  as  well  as  simplicity  of  poetic 
structure ;  but  it  also  indicates  a  truth  that  every  truly 
pious  heart  will  delight  to  contemplate,  which  is  thus 
expressed  in  the  next  verse : — 

"  Born  into  the  world  above, 

They  our  happy  brother  greet ; 
Bear  him  to  the  throne  of  love, 
Place  him  at  the  Saviour's  feet." 

Hymn  565.  "  Why  do  we  mourn  for  dying  friends." —  Watts. 

"  The  Death  and  Burial  of  a  Saint."  The  poet  wrote 
the  first  line  thus, — 

"  Why  do  we  mourn  departing  friends. 

Hymn  566.  "  Shrinking  from  the  cold  hand  of  death." 

C.  Wesley. 

"  Jacob  gathered  up  his  feet  into  the  bed,  and  yielded 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  427 

up  the  ghost,  and  was  gathered  unto  his  people." 
Gen,  xlix,  33.  "  Moses  stripped  Aaron  of  his  garments, 
and  Aaron  died  there  in  the  top  of  the  mount."  Num. 
xx,  28.  Verses  1  and  2  are  founded  on  the  former, 
and  3  on  the  latter,  text.  The  last  two  stanzas,  4  and  5, 
are  not  in  the  Wesleyan  Hymn-book.  Connected  with 
the  third  verse  of  this  hymn  there  is  an  interesting 
anecdote  related  of  John  Wesley  by  Mr.  Moore. 
When  his  increasing  infirmities  were  perhaps  more  ap- 
parent to  his  friends  than  to  himself,  "  he  would,"  says 
his  biographer,  "  omit  none  of  his  religious  duties  or 
labors.  Herein  he  would  listen  to  no  advice.  His 
almost  continual  prayer  was,  '  Lord,  let  me  not  live  to 
be  useless !'  At  every  place,  after  giving  to  the  society 
what  he  desired  them  to  consider  as  his  last  advice, 
*  To  love  as  brethren,  fear  God,  and  honor  the  king,' 
he  invariably  concluded  with  the  verse  : — 

'  0  that  without  a  ling'ring  groan 

I  may  the  welcome  -word  receive ! 
My  body  with  my  charge  lay  down, 
And  cease  at  once  to  work  and  live.' " 

Hymn  567.  "Pass  a  few  swiftly  fleeting  years." — C.  Wesley. 

"I  am  going  the  way  of  all  the  earth."  Joshua 
xxiii,  14. 

Hymn  568.  "  The  morning  flowers  display  their  sweets." 

S.  Wesley,  Jan. 

This  much-admired  hymn  was  "  occasioned  by  the 
death  of  a  young  lady,"  and  is  founded  on  Isaiah  xl, 
6,  8  :  "  All  flesh  is  grass,  and  all  the  goodliness  thereof 

as  the  flower  of  the  field The  grass  withereth, 

the  flower  fadeth  ;  but  the  word  of  our  God  shall  stand 


428  METHODIST    HYMXOLOGY. 

for  ever."  The  author  has  completed  his  task  in  a  most 
interesting  and  pleasing  manner.  This  imagery  is 
touching,  and  although  the  subject  is  of  a  melancholy 
character,  he  has  thrown  light  among  the  shadows,  and 
intermingled  beauty  with  the  gloom.  The  hymn  can- 
not be  read  without  emotion. 

Hymn  569.  "Again  we  lift  our  voice." — C.  Wesley. 

This  was  composed  "  On  the  Death  of  Samuel  Hitch- 
ens,"  one  of  Mr.  Wesley's  first  preachers,  who  died  in 
the  year  1747,  after  itinerating  two  years.  From  the 
fifth  stanza  we  learn  that  he  was  very  young : — 

"  Thou,  in  thy  youthful  prime, 
Hast  leap'd  the  hounds  of  time : 

Suddenly  from  earth  released, 
Lo  !  we  now  rejoice  for  thee, 

Taken  to  an  early  rest, 
Caught  into  eternity." 

The  poet,  in  the  second  line  of  verse  1,  wrote  "  solemn 
joys,''''  which  preserves  the  rhyme. 

Hymn  570.  "  Vain  man,  thy  fond  pursuits  forbear." — Hart. 

On  Death ;  six  stanzas,  the  last  two  rejected.  See 
hymn  554  for  some  remarks  on  the  second  line  of 
verse  4, — 

"  Shall  crawling  worms  consume." 

Hymn  571.  "  Thy  life  I  read,  my  gracious  Lord." — S.  Stennett. 

"  Jesus  said,  Suffer  little  children,  and  forbid  them 
not,  to  come  unto  me ;  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of 
heaven."  Matt,  xix,  14.  The  fourth  stanza  is  often 
quoted,  and  enunciates  a  comfortable  doctrine  for  dis- 
consolate parents  mourning  the  decease  of  dear 
children : — 


METHODIST    JIYMXOLOGY.  429 

"  Death  may  the  bands  of  life  unloose, 
But  can't  dissolve  my  love  ; 
Millions  of  infant  souls  compose 
The  family  above." 

IIv.mv  572.  "  Thou  Judge  of  quick  and  dead." — C.  Wesley. 
One  of  the  author's  "  Hymns  for  the  Watchnight." 

Hymn  573.  "  Lo!  He  comes,  with  clouds  descending." 
Hymn  574.  "  He  comes  !    He  comes  !  the  Judge  severe." 

C.  Wesley. 

These  are  on  the  judgment,  entitled,  "  Thy  Kingdom 
come."     Mr.  Jackson,  in  his  Life  of  Thomas  Olivers, 
says,  "  It  should  also  be  stated  that  the  hymn  beginning, 
'  Lo  !  he  comes,  with  clouds  descending,' 

and  the  fine  tune  to  which  it  is  set  in  Mr.  Wesley's 
'  Sacred  Harmony,'  were  both  composed  by  Mr.  Oli- 
vers." The  writer  is  convinced  that  Mr.  Jackson  is  in 
eiTor  as  to  Mr.  Olivers  being  the  author  of  both  the  tune 
and  the  hymn  in  question.  That  he  composed  the  tune 
there  is  no  reason  to  doubt ;  but  the  hymn  is  found  in 
Mr.  C.  Wesley's  "  Hymns  of  Intercession  for  all  Man- 
kind," 1758,  and  Mr.  Jackson  himself  mentions  this  in 
his  notice  of  that  work,  in  the  Life  of  the  author,  and 
yet  unhesitatingly — for  he  makes  no  exceptions — attri- 
butes the  hymn,  with  others,  to  Charles  Wesley.  How 
this  inadvertency  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Jackson  occurred, 
we  cannot  certainly  tell ;  but  suppose  that  the  confu- 
sion of  facts  arose  from  Mr.  Olivers  having  adapted  a 
tune  to  Wesley's  words,  the  meter  and  subject  being  the 
same  as  hymn  580,  which  was  published  originally,  in 
the  same  work,  on  the  opposite  page  to  5*73. 

In  thus  attempting  to  deprive  Olivers  of  the  reputa- 
tion he  has  so  long  enjoyed,  as  to  the  authorship  in 


430  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

question,  the  writer  has  but  one  object  to  subserve — 
that  of  truth.  Could  he  adduce  stronger  evidence  in 
favor  of  Olivers  than  of  Wesley,  he  would  gladly  pre- 
sent it ;  but  he  cannot,  and  the  poet  of  Methodism  must, 
for  the  future,  wear  the  bays. 

Hymn  575.  "  Thou  God  of  glorious  majesty."—  C.  Wesley. 

This  is  entitled,  "  A  Hymn  for  Seriousness."  Mr. 
Thomas  Roberts,  in  his  excellent  "  Dissertation"  on 
hymnology,  describing  Charles  Wesley's  character  as 
a  poet,  alludes  to  this  hymn  thus:  "Religion  exhibits 
those  tremendously  interesting  themes  which  give  a 
living  energy  to  the  judgment ;  and,  if  so  bold  a  figure 
may  be  permitted,  hang  the  eternal  state  of  the  reader 
upon  every  line  of  the  poet ;  he  grasps,  through  the 
irresistible  agency  of  the  conscience,  that  titular  divini- 
ty, that  secondary  Omnipotence  within  us,  our  essential 
interests,  infinite  and  everlasting  in  their  result ;  and 
quickens  all  the  feelings  of  the  soul  into  unspeakable 
sensibility.  How,  for  instance,  must  that  poet  have  felt, 
who,  realizing,  (verse  4,) 

' in  dread  array, 

The  pomp  of  that  tremendous  day,' 

places  at  the  same  time  (verse  1) 

'  A  half-awaken'd  child  of  man ' 
upon  a  stupendous  site,  respecting  his  personal  concern 
in  the  awful  process  of  the  judgment, — a  site  which 
makes  dizzy  the  very  imagination  of  the  reader,  in  its 
bare  contemplation ! — (verse  2) 

'  Lo  !  on  a  narrow  neck  of  land, 
'Twixt  two  unbounded  seas,  I  stand 
Secure,  insensible ! 


METIIODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  481 

A  point  of  time — a  moment's  space — 
Kemoves  me  to  that  heavenly  place, 
Or — shuts  me  up  in  hell !' " 

Mr.  Montgomery,  also,  in  his  "  Christian  Psalmist,"  has 
expressed  his  opinion  of  the  character  of  this  hymn. 
It  is,  says  he,  "  a  sublime  contemplation  ;  solemn,  col- 
lected, unimpassioned  thought,  but  thought  occupied 
with  that  which  is  of  everlasting  import  to  a  dying  man, 
standing  on  the  lapse  of  a  moment  between  *  two  eter- 
nities.' " 

Similar  in  thought  and  expression  is  the  language  of 
the  poet, — 

"  Death  stands  between  eternity  and  time 
"With  open  jaws,  on  such  a  narroio  bridge, 
That  none  can  pass,  but  must  become  his  prey." 

Hymn  576.  "  Stand,  th'  omnipotent  decree." — C.  Wesley. 

This  fine  hymn  was  written  and  published  in  1756, 
and  makes  special  allusion  to  the  earthquake  which 
destroyed  the  city  of  Lisbon  in  that  year.  It  is  thus 
characterized  by  the  eminent  and  pious  living  poet  men- 
tioned above  :  "  The  hymn  on  the  Day  of  Judgment, 
'  Stand,  the  omnipotent  decree,'  begins  with  a  note, 
abrupt  and  awakening,  like  the  sound  of  the  last  trumpet. 
This  is  altogether  one  of  the  most  daring  and  victorious 
flights  of  our  author." 

Upon  comparing  this  hymn,  and  the  following  quota- 
tion from  the  Sixth  Book  of  the  "  Night  Thoughts,"  it 
will  be  found  that  some  of  the  striking  ideas  of  the 
latter  have  been  used  with  good  effect  by  Charles  Wes- 
ley, who  could,  when  occasion  served,  says  Mr.  Jack- 
son, "  surpass  Young  himself  in  living  energy,  both  of 
thought  and  expression."     Young  exclaims, — 


432  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

"  Of  man  imincnial !  hear  the  lofty  style : 
If  so  decreed,  th'  Almighty  will  be  done. 
Let  earth  dissolve,  yon  pond'rous  orbs  descend, 
And  grind  us  into  dust.    The  soul  is  safe, 
The  man  emerges  ;  mounts  above  the  wreck, 
As  tow'ring  flame  from  nature's  funeral  pyre  ; 
O'er  devastation,  as  a  gainer,  smiles ; 
His  charter,  his  inviolable  rights, 
"Well-pleased  to  learn  from  thunder's  impotence, 
Death's  pointless  darts,  and  hell's  defeated  storms." 

But  the  poet  of  Methodism  was  not  indebted  to  Young 
alone  for  some  of  the  fine  thoughts  embodied  like  pearls 
in  his  pious  poems  ;  he  has  also  laid  under  contribution 
to  his  heavenly  muse  some  of  the  best  Christian  au- 
thors, both  poets  and  prose  writers.  And  this  is  no 
disparagement ;  for  although  his  own  resources  were 
an  inexhaustible  mine,  his  very  intimate  acquaintance 
with  the  works  of  those  authors,  whose  respective  ex- 
cellences he  properly  appreciated,  induced  him  occa- 
sionally to  use  the  same,  or  similar  thoughts,  as  they, 
always  illumined,  however,  by  the  promethean  fires  of 
his  own  genius. 

Hymn  577.  "And  must  I  be  to  judgment  brought." — C.  Wesley. 

One  of  the  author's  "  Hymns  for  Children,"  entitled, 
"A  Thought  on  the  Judgment,"  embracing  eight  stan- 
zas ;  the  last  three  omitted. 

Hymn  578.  "  The  great  archangel's  trump  shall  sound." 

C.  Wesley. 

Written  "  After  a  Deliverance  from  Death  by  the  Fall 
of  a  Horse."  Twelve  stanzas  ;  the  first  five  excluded, 
wherein  special  reference  is  made  to  the  circumstance 
mentioned  in  the  title.    We  insert  two  verses,  2  and  3, — 


METHODIST    HYMXOLOGY.  433 

"  How  bless'd  whom  Jesus  calls  his  own, 
How  quiet,  and  secure  from  harms ! 
The  adversary  cast  us  down, 

The  Saviour  caught  us  in  his  arms. 

"  'Twas  Jesus  check'd  his  straitcn'd  chain, 
And  curb'd  the  malice  of  our  foe, 
Allow'd  to  touch  our  flesh  with  pain, 
No  further  could  the  murd'rer  go." 

That  part  of  the  hymn  which  has  been  transferred  to 
the  Hymn-book  is  in  the  poet's  most  impassioned  strain, 
and  is  a  sublime  description  of  the  day  of  judgment, 
founded  evidently  upon  the  opening  of  the  sixth  seal, 
{Rev.  vi,  13, 14,)  "  And  the  stars  of  heaven  fell  unto  the 

earth And  the  heaven  departed  as  a  scroll 

when  it  is  rolled  together ;  and  every  mountain  and 
island  were  moved  out  of  their  places." 

Hymn  579.  "  That  awful  day  will  surely  come." — Watts. 

"  The  Everlasting  Absence  of  God  intolerable." 
Eight  stanzas ;  the  last  three  omitted.  The  author 
wrote  the  first  couplet  of  verse  2  thus, — 

"  Thou  lovely  Chief  of  all  my  joys, 
Thou  Sovereign  of  my  heart." 

There  are  two  or  three  other  verbal  alterations  which 
do  not  injure  the  hymn. 

Hymn  580.  "  Lift  your  heads,  ye  friends  of  Jesus." 

C.  Wesley. 
"  Thy  Kingdom  come."  See  remarks  on  hymns 
5*73,  574.  In  the  English  Hymn-book,  verse  1,  second 
line,  we  read  "  his  sufferings  ;"  and  verse  6,  line  third, 
"  the  tokens  of  his  passion."  But  these  are  alterations, 
for  the  better  it  mav  be,  from  the  original. 
19 


434  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  581.  "  Woe  to  the  men  on  earth  who  dwell." — C.  Wesley. 

This,  and  hymn  583,  are  parts  of  a  poem,  On  the 
Overthrow  of  Lisbon  by  an  Earthquake  in  17 55,  pub- 
lished the  succeeding  year.  The  following  two  double 
verses  are  some  of  those  omitted  : — 

"  A  voice  out  of  the  temple  cries, 

And  from  the  eternal  throne, 
And  all  the  storms  of  vengeance  rise, 

When  God  declares  '  'Tis  done  !' 
'Tis  done  !  ten  thousand  voices  join 

To  applaud  his  righteous  ire ; 
And  thunders  roll  and  lightnings  shine, 

That  set  the  world  on  fire. 

"  The  mighty  shock  seems  now  begun, 

Beyond  example  great; 
And  lo !  the  world's  foundations  groan 

As  at  their  instant  fate  ! 
Jehovah  shakes  the  shatter'd  ball, 

Sign  of  the  general  doom  ! 
The  cities  of  the  nations  fall, 

And  Babel's  hour  is  come." 

Hymn  582.  "Jesus,  faithful  to  his  word."—  C.  Wesley. 

A  Funeral  Hymn,  foimded  on  1  Thess.  iv,  13-18. 
Six  stanzas ;  4,  5,  and  6  of  which,  compose  our  hymn, 
and  are  a  beautiful  paraphrase  on  the  last  three  verses 
of  the  above  text :  "  For  the  Lord  himself  shall  descend 
from  heaven  with  a  shout,  with  the  voice  of  an  arch- 
angel, and  with  the  trump  of  God ;  and  the  dead  in 
Christ  shall  rise  first;  then  wre  which  are  alive  and 
remain  shall  be  caught  up  together  with  them  in  the 
clouds,  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air :  and  so  shall  we 
ever   be  with   the  Lord.     Wherefore,    comfort    one 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  436 

another  with  these  words."    The  poet  wrote  the  fourth 
line,  verse  1,  thus, — 

"  Shall  pompously  attend." 
In  a  review  of  the  new  Hymn-book  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South,  this  alteration  is  thus  no- 
ticed : — "  That  fine  old  classical  word,  '  pompously,'  has 
been  brought  back  in  place  of  the  substitute,  'joyfully* 
C.  Wesley  had  a  fondness  for  the  word  pomp,  if  we 
may  judge  from  the  frequency  of  its  occurrence  in  his 
hymns.  He  takes  care,  however,  not  to  use  it  in  a 
loose,  indiscriminate  manner ;  but  seems  ever  to  have 
his  eye  upon  its  original  import.  It  was  a  religious 
word  among  the  Greeks,  and  used  by  them  to  denote 
a  solemn  procession :  accordingly  C.  Wesley  says : 
'  There  the  pompous  triumph  waits,' — '  And  lead  the 
pompous  triumph  on,' — '  By  the  pomp  of  thine  ascend- 
ing.' Having  heard  objections  to  this  noble  word,  as  it 
occurs  in  our  hymns,  we  have  thought  proper  to  speak 
in  its  behalf;  not  indeed  as  if  it  were  a  peculiarity  of 
C.  Wesley,  for  we  find  it  in  all  the  best  writers." — 
Southern  Methodist  Quarterly,  vol.  ii,  p.  108. 

Hymn-  583.  "  By  faith  we  rind  the  place  above." — C.  Wesley. 
See  hymn  581. 

Hymn  584.  <;  How  happy  are  the  little  flock." — C.  Wesley. 

"  This  fine  hymn,"  says  Mr.  Jackson,  "  was  written 
after  hearing  of  the  destruction  of  Lisbon,  and  of  the 
expected  invasion  of  England  by  the  French.  He  sent 
it  in  a  somewhat  unfinished  form  in  a  letter  to  his  wife." 

Hymn  585.  "  Behold !  with  awful  pomp." — Hart. 
"The  Day  of  Judgment." 


436  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  586.  "  Righteous  God,  whose  vengeful  vials." — C.  Wesley. 

This  was  written  on  the  same  occasion  as  hymns  581, 
583,  584,  and  contains  six  stanzas.  When  Mr.  John 
Wesley  made  the  general  collection,  from  which  the 
hymns  in  our  book  purport  to  be  principally  taken,  he 
omitted  the  following  two  stanzas,  3  and  4,  from  this 
hymn,  as  not  suited  to  popular  use  ;  the  last  of  which 
is  remarkable : — 

"  By  the  signals  of  Thy  coming, 

Soon,  we  know,  thou  wilt  appear, 
Evil  with  thy  breath  consuming, 

Setting  up  thy  kingdom  here : 
Thy  last  heavenly  revelation 

These  tremendous  plagues  forerun, 
Judgment  ushers  in  salvation, 

Seats  thee  on  thy  glorious  throne. 

<(  Earth  unhinged  as  from  her  basis, 

Owns  her  great  Restorer  nigh ; 
Plunged  in  complicate  distresses, 

Poor  distracted  sinners  cry  ; 
Men  their  instant  doom  deploring, 

Eaint  beneath  their  fearful  load : 
Ocean  working,  rising,  roaring, 

Claps  his  hands  to  meet  his  God." 

Hymn  587.  "  Lord,  dismiss  us  with  thy  blessing." 

The  writer  has  not  been  able  to  discover  the  origin 
or  authorship  of  this  hymn. 

Hymn  588.  "  Lo !  I  come  with  joy  to  do." — C.  Wesley. 

"  For  a  Believer,  in  Worldly  Business."  A  delight- 
ful and  appropriate  hymn.  The  lesson  and  reproof  con- 
tained in  the  last  couplet  of  the  first  stanza  reach  at 
once  the  reader's  heart : — 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGT.  487 

"  Faithful  to  my  Lord's  commands, 
I  still  would  choose  the  better  part ; 
Serve  vnth  careful  Martha's  hands, 
And  loving  Mary's  heart." 

One  stanza,  the  fourth,  omitted.     It  runs  thus, — 

"  To  the  desert,  or  the  cell, 

Let  others  blindly  fly, 
In  this  evil  world  I  dwell, 

Unhurt,  unspotted,  I : 
Here  I  find  a  house  of  prayer, 

To  which  I  inwardly  retire, 
Walking  unconcern'd  in  care, 

And  unconsumed  in  fire." 

Hymn  589.  "  Thou,  my  God,  art  good  and  wise." — C.  Wesley. 
One  of  our  poet's  excellent  "  Hymns  for  Children." 

Hymn  590.  "  All  things  are  possible  to  him." — C.  Wesley. 

A  beautiful  dilatation  of  the  words  of  Jesus,  which 
also  form  the  burden  of  each  stanza  :  "  All  things  are 
possible  to  him  that  belie veth."  Mark  ix,  23.  Two 
verses,  3  and  6,  omitted. 

Hymn  591.  "  0  God  of  our  forefathers,  hear." — C.  Wesley. 

On  the  Lord's  Supper,  under  the  head,  "  The  Holy 
Eucharist,  as  it  implies  a  Sacrifice." 

Htmn  592.  "  Abraham,  when  severely  tried." — C.  Wesley. 

A  paraphrase  and  expansion  of  Hebrews  xi,  1*7—19 : 
"By  faith  Abraham,  when  he  was  tried,  offered  up 
Isaac  :  and  he  that  had  received  the  promises,  offered 
up  his  only-begotten  son,  of  whom  it  was  said,  That  in 
Isaac  shall  thy  seed  be  called  :  accounting  that  God 
was  able  to  raise  him  up,  even  from  the  dead ;  from 
whence  also  he  received  him  in  figure."    Twelve  verses : 


438  METHODIST  HYMNOLOGY. 

3,  4,  5,  6,  and  11,  omitted.  The  whole  chapter  (Heb.  xi) 
is  paraphrased,  entitled,  "  The  Life  of  Faith  exempli- 
fied ;"  the  first  six  stanzas  of  which  compose  hymn  176. 

Hymn  593.  "  How  weak  the  thoughts  and  vain."—  C.  Wesley. 

This  fine  hymn  was  written  upon  the  occasion  of  the 
earthquakes  in  London,  in  the  year  1*750 ;  for  some  ac- 
count of  which,  see  page  169. 

Hymn  594.  "  Worship,  and  thanks,  and  blessing." — C.  Wesley. 

This  glorious  gospel  blast  was  "  written  after  a  de- 
liverance in  a  tumult,"  and  was  often  afterward  sounded 
on  similar  occasions ;  one  of  which,  related  by  Charles 
Wesley  in  his  journal,  is  too  interesting  and  touching 
to  be  omitted  here.  The  hymn,  and  the  occasion  of  its 
composition,  ought  to  be  familiar  to  every  young 
Methodist  minister  from  the  very  commencement  of  his 
itinerant  life ;  their  remembrance  would  doubtless  en- 
able him  to  meet  manfully  the  less  formidable  difficul- 
ties he  may  frequently  encounter  and  overcome. 

It  was  in  the  year  1*747 ;  and  the  following  is  but 
the  conclusion  of  a  long  account  of  a  "  mob  at  Devizes," 
which  may  be  found  in  Jackson's  Life  of  Charles 
Wesley:  "After  riding  two  or  three  hundred  yards," 
says  he,  "I  looked  back  and  saw  Mr.  Merton  on  the 
ground,  in  the  midst  of  the  mob,  and  two  bull-dogs 
upon  him.  One  was  first  let  loose,  which  leaped  at 
the  horse's  nose  ;  but  the  horse  with  his  foot  beat  him 
down.  The  other  fastened  on  his  nose,  and  hung  there, 
till  Mr.  Merton,  with  the  but-end  of  his  whip,  felled 
him  to  the  ground.  Then  the  first  dog  recovering,  flew 
at  the  horse's  breast,  and  fastened  there.  The  beast 
reared  up,  and  Mr.  Merton  slid  gently  off.     The  dog 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  439 

kept  his  hold  till  the  flesh  tore  off.  Then  some  of  the 
men  took  off  the  dogs  ;  others  cried,  'Let  them  alone.' 
But  neither  beast  nor  man  had  any  further  commission 
to  hurt.  I  stopped  the  horse,  and  delivered  him  to  my 
friend.  He  remounted,  with  great  composure,  and  we 
rode  on  leisurely,  as  before,  till  out  of  sight.  Then  we 
mended  our  pace,  and  in  an  hour  came  to  Seen,  having 
rode  three  miles  about,  and  by  seven  to  Wrexall.  The 
news  of  our  danger  was  got  thither  before  us,  but  we 
brought  the  welcome  tidings  of  our  own  deliverance. 
Now  we  saw  the  hand  of  Providence  in  suffering  them 
to  turn  out  our  horses ;  that  is,  to  send  them  to  us  against 
we  wanted  them.  Again,  how  plainly  were  we  over- 
ruled to  send  our  horses  down  the  town,  which  blinded 
the  rioters  without  our  designing  it,  and  drew  off  their 
engines  and  them,  leaving  us  a  free  passage  at  the 
other  end  of  the  town  !  We  joined  in  hearty  praises  to 
our  Deliverer,  singing  the  hymn, — 

'  Worship,  and  thanks,  and  blessing,' "  &c. 

The  fifth  stanza,  not  being  transferred  to  the  Hymn- 
book,  is  here  inserted  : — 

K  Safe  as  devoted  Peter 

Betwixt  the  soldiers  sleeping, 
Like  sheep  we  lay,  to  wolves  a  prey, 

Yet  still  in  Jesus'  keeping. 
Thou  from  th'  infernal  Herod, 

And  Jewish  expectation, 
Hast  set  us  free ;  all  praise  to  thee, 

O  God  of  our  salvation  !" 

Men  who  could  suffer  and  thus  sing,  would,  undei 
similar  circumstances,  be  as  ready  as  Daniel  to  be  cast 
into  the  lions'  den,  or  to  enter,  like  the  three  Hebrew 


440  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

children,  the  fiery  furnace,  even  though  it  were  heated 
seven  times  hotter  than  usual. 


Hymn  595.  "  Who  is  this  gigantic  foe." — C.  Wesley. 

A  spirited  versification  and  improvement  of  the  ac- 
count given  of  "  David  and  Goliah,"  in  the  seventeenth 
chapter  of  first  Samuel.  Thirteen  stanzas :  4,  7,  8,  9, 
12,  and  13,  omitted. 

Hymn  596.  "Jesus,  shall  I  never  be." — C.  Wesley. 

"  Let  this  mind  be  in  you,  which  was  also  in  Christ 
Jesus."  Philip,  ii,  5.     Seven  verses  omitted. 

Hymn  597.  "Jesus,  the  gift  divine  I  know." — C.  Wesley. 

"  If  thou  knowest  the  gift  of  God  ....  thou  wouldest 
have  asked  of  him,  and  he  would  have  given  thee 
living  water,"  &c.  John  iv,  10,  14.  "Pure  religion, 
and  undefiled  before  God  and  the  Father,  is  this,  To 
visit  the  fatherless  and  widows  in  their  affliction,  and  to 
keep  himself  unspotted  from  the  world."  James  i,  27. 
Verses  1  and  2  are  founded  upon  the  former,  and  3,  4, 
and  5,  upon  the  latter,  text. 

Hymn  598.  "Father,  see  this  living  clod."—  C.  Wesley. 

"  The  Lord  formed  man  of  the  dust  of  the  ground, 
and  breathed  into  his  nostrils  the  breath  of  life ;  and  man 
became  a  living  soul."  Gen.  ii,  7.  "I  am  the  Almighty 
God ;  walk  before  me,  and  be  thou  perfect."  Gen.  xvii,  1. 

Verse  2, — 

"  Burst  this  Babylonish  yoke." 

"  I  will  break  the  yoke  of  the  king  of  Babylon."  Jer. 
xxviii,  4. 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  441 

Htmn  599.  "  The  voice  that  speaks  Jehovah  near." 

C.  Wesley. 
"  And  after  the  fire  a  still  small  voice.     And  it  was 
so  when  Elijah  hoard  it,  that  he  wrapped  his  face  in  his 
mantle."   1   Kings  xix,  12,  13. 

Hymn  600.  "Lay  to  thy  hand,  0  God  of  grace."—  C.  Wesley. 

This  is  composed  of  the  last  three  stanzas  of  the 
third  part  of  a  long  poem  in  four  parts,  entitled, 
"  Groaning  for  Redemption."  Hymn  323  is  the  last 
part  of  the  same  composure. 

Hymn  601.  "  Give  glory  to  Jesus  our  Head." — C.  Wesley. 

"On  the  Death  of  a  Widow."  Five  stanzas;  the 
fifth  omitted.  We  presume  this  hymn  is  seldom  used  ; 
the  first  two  verses  are  too  personal,  although  intended 
for  a  special  purpose.  The  last  stanza  is  a  sublime 
strain.  A  literary  friend  has  noticed  the  analogy  of 
thought  between  a  couplet  of  this  hymn  and  a  passage 
in  Hudibras.  Wesley,  in  the  second  stanza,  expresses 
the  beautiful  idea  : — 

"  "Where  glorified  spirits,  by  sight 
Converse  in  their  happy  abode." 

Butler  says : — 

"  Or  who,  but  lovers,  can  converse, 
Like  angels,  by  the  eye  discourse  ? 
Address  and  compliment  by  vision — " 

Hvmn  602.  "Sun  of  unclouded  righteousness."—  C.  Wesley. 
From  Hymns  of  Intercession  for  all  Mankind,  entitled, 
"  For  the  Turks."  In  verses  3  and  4,  Mr.  Burgess  re- 
marks, "  we  have  a  forcible  and  affecting  prayer  on 
behalf  of  Mohammedans  and  Unitarians  ;  who,  as  agree- 
ing in  the  rejection  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  while  they 
19* 


442  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

profess  to  acknowledge  the  unity  of  the  Godhead,  are 
classed  together.  The  poet  appears  to  apply  that  pro- 
phetic passage,  [Revelation  ix,  2,  &c.,)  to  the  rise  and 
progress  of  the  Mohammedan  imposture  :  and  as  the 
locusts  are  there  represented  as  coming  out  of  the 
smoke,  and  the  smoke  out  of  the  bottomless  pit,  this 
probably  led  him  to  adopt  that  bold  expression, — 

'  The  Unitarian  fiend  expel, 
And  chase  his  doctrine  back  to  hell.' 

From  hell  it  came,  as  a  device  of  him  who  is  the  an- 
gel of  the  bottomless  pit,  the  father  of  lies,  the  great 
adversary  of  God  and  man.  Well,  therefore,  may  we 
pray  that  this  delusive  and  ruinous  doctrine  may  return 
to  hell,  and  there  abide,  that  it  may  no  longer  trouble 
and  injure  the  earth." 

Hymn  603.  "  Lord  over  all,  if  thou  hast  made." — C.  Wesley. 

This  is  from  the  same  work  as  the  above,  and  is 
entitled,  "  For  the  Heathen."  Mr.  J.  Wesley  has 
quoted  the  third  stanza  at  the  end  of  his  "  Thoughts 
upon  Slavery,"  in  the  sixth  volume  of  his  Works  : — 

"  The  servile  progeny  of  Ham 

Seize  as  the  purchase  of  thy  blood  ! 

Let  all  the  heathens  know  thy  name : 
From  idols  to  the  living  God 

The  dark  Americans  convert, 

And  shine  in  every  pagan  heart !" 

Hymn  604.  "  O  come,  thou  radiant  Morning-Star." — C.  Wesley. 
"  There  shall  come  a  Star  out  of  Jacob,  and  a  Scep- 
tre shall  rise  out  of  Israel.  .  .  .  Edom  shall  be  a  pos- 
session. .  .  .  Israel  shall  do  valiantly."  Numbers  xxiv, 
1*7,18. 


METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY.  443 

Hymn  605.  "  0  Lord,  our  God,  we  bless  thee  now." — C.  Wesley. 
"  And  David  said  to  all  the  congregation,  Now  bless 
the  Lord  your  God.     And  all  the  congregation  blessed 
the  Lord  God  of  their  fathers,  and  bowed  down  their 
heads,  and  worshiped  the  Lord."  1  Chron.  xxix,  20. 

IIvmx  606.  "  Praise  God,  from  whom  all  blessings  flow." — Kenn. 

The  doxology  originally  appeared  at  the  end  of 
Bishop  Kenn's  three  well-known  hymns  for  Morning, 
Evening,  and  Midnight ;  which  were  added  to  the  third 
edition  of  his  "  Manual  of  Prayers  for  the  Use  of  the 
Scholars  of  Winchester  College,"  &c,  1697.  The  au- 
thor wrote  the  third  line  thus, — 

"  Praise  him  above,  y1  angelic  host." 

Mr.  Montgomery  says  this  incomparable  doxology 
"  is  a  master-piece  at  once  of  amplification  and  com- 
pression :  amplification,  on  the  burden,  '  Praise  God,' 
repeated  in  each  line  ; — compression,  by  exhibiting  him 
as  the  object  of  praise  in  every  view  in  which  we  can 
imagine  praise  due  to  him :  praise  for  all  his  blessings, 
yea  for  all  blessings,  none  coming  from  any  other 
source :  praise  by  every  creature,  specifically  invoked, 
'  here  below,'  and  in  heaven  '  above  :'  praise  to  him  in 
each  of  the  characters  wherein  he  has  revealed  him- 
self in  his  word — '  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost.'  Yet 
this  comprehensive  verse  is  sufficiently  simple,  that  by 
it  'out  of  the  mouths  of  babes  and  sucklings  praise 
might  be  perfected ;'  and  it  appears  so  easy,  that  one 
is  tempted  to  think  hundreds  of  the  sort  might  be  made 
without  trouble.  The  reader  has  only  to  try,  and  he 
will  quickly  be  undeceived,  though  the  longer  he  tries, 
the  more  difficult  he  will  find  tbe  task  to  be." 


444  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  607.  "  Am  I  a  soldier  of  the  cross." — Watts. 

This  hymn  was  originally  published  by  the  author 
at  the  end  of  his  thirty-first  sermon,  entitled,  "  Holy 
Fortitude ;  or,  Remedies  against  Fear ;"  on  the  text, 
"  Stand  fast  in  the  faith,  quit  you  like  men,  be  strong." 
1  Cor.  xvi,  13. 

The  last  couplet  of  verse  5  was  written  by  Dr.  Watts 
thus, — 

"  They  see  the  triumph  from  afar, 
And  seize  it  with  their  eye? 

This  hymn  is  a  fine  apostrophe  for  the  use  of  the 
Christian  soldier,  who  is  represented  by  the  poet  in  a 
review  of  his  character  and  duties,  and  with  an  earnest 
desire  to  engage  in  the  conflict  in  which  he  is  sure  of 
conquest  by  faith  in  Him  who  has  already  conquered 
all  his  foes.  The  hymn  breathes  the  true  spirit  of  the 
soldier  of  the  cross  of  Christ.  His  business  is  to  fight 
against  the  foes  of  his  faith,  and  he  has  no  wish  to 
escape  the  contest.  He  would  wear  no  laurel  that  he 
does  not  gain  under  the  banner  of  the  great  Captain  of 
his  salvation.     He  disdains  to  be 

" carried  to  the  skies 


On  flowery  beds  of  ease, 

While  others  fought  to  win  the  prize, 

And  sail'd  through  bloody  seas," 

and  boldly  asks  for  the  foes  he  is  to  face.  And,  after 
expressing  his  resolve  to  fight  his  way  to  heaven,  and 
anticipating  the  bliss  that  he  shall  enjoy,  he  ascribes  all 
the  glory  to  Him  who  hath  purchased  it  with  his  blood. 
Let  every  Christian  soldier  enter  and  continue  in  the 
warfare  with  the  spirit  of  this  hymn. 


METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY.  445 

Hymn  608.  "  Behold  the  sure  foundation-stone." —  Watts. 

"  Christ  the  Foundation  of  his  Church."  Psalm  cxviii, 
22,  23. 

Hymn  609.  t:  Rock  of  ages,  cleft  for  me." — Toplady. 

" A  Prayer,  Living  and  Dying."  Although  we  have 
given  Mr.  Toplady  as  the  author  of  this  hymn,  there  is, 
perhaps,  some  cause  for  doubt  upon  the  subject.  See 
pages  4*7-50. 

Hymn  610.  "  Thou,  who  hast  in  Sion  laid." — Mrs.  Bulmer. 

On  Laying  the  Foundation,  or  Corner-stone,  of  a 
New  Church,  by  the  author  of  "Messiah's  Kingdom." 

Hymn  611.  "  Great  God  !  who  laid  on  Sion's  mount." 
Hymn  612.  "  0  Thou  before  whose  lofty  throne." 
Hymn  613.  "  Surely  the  Lord  is  here." — J.  Kennaday. 

On  Laying  the  Foundation,  or  Corner-stone,  of  a 
New  Church. 

Hymn  614.  "Father  of  earth  and  sky." — C.  Wesley. 

A  paraphrase  on  the  Lord's  Prayer.  Matt,  vi,  9-13. 

Hymn  615.  "  Great  God,  thy  watchful  care  we  bless." 

Doddridge. 

"  The  Church,  the  Birthplace  of  the  Saints,  and 
God's  Care  of  it."  Psa.  lxxxvii,  5.  "  On  Opening  a 
New  Place  of  Worship."  Six  stanzas  ;  1,  2,  and  5, 
omitted.     The  first  two  are  as  follow  : — 

"  And  will  the  great  eternal  God 
On  earth  establish  his  abode  ? 
And  will  he  from  his  radiant  throne 
Avow  our  temples  for  his  own  ? 


446  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

"  We  bring  the  tribute  of  our  praise, 
And  sing  that  condescending  grace, 
Which  to  our  notes  will  lend  an  ear, 
And  call  us  sinful  mortals  near." 

The  next  verse,  the  first  in  our  book,  commences,  "  Our 
Father's  watchful  care,"  &c. 

Hymn  616.  "  How  pleasant,  how  divinely  fair." 

Hymn  617.  "  Great  God,  attend,  while  Sion  sings" — Watts. 

The  first  and  second  parts  of  Psalm  lxxxiv ;  the 
former  entitled,  "  The  Pleasure  of  Public  Worship," 
from  which  two  stanzas,  2  and  3,  are  excluded ;  the 
latter,  "  God  and  his  Church ;  or,  Grace  and  Glory." 

The  omitted  third  stanza,  hymn  616,  reads  thus, — 

"  The  sparrow  chooses  where  to  rest, 
And  for  her  young  provides  her  nest : 
But  will  my  God  to  sparrows  grant 
That  pleasure  which  his  children  want  ?" 

Hymn  618.  "  Great  is  the  Lord  our  God."—  Watts. 

"  The  Church  is  the  Honor  and  Safety  of  a  Nation." 
Psa.  xlviii.  First  Part.  Three  stanzas,  4,  5,  and  6, 
omitted.  A  nation  might  well  be  said  to  rest  secure,  to 
whom  the  language  of  the  fifth  stanza  could  be  applied ; 
and  Dr.  Watts  has  applied  it  to  his  native  land : — 

"  When  navies,  tall  and  proud, 
Attempt  to  spoil  our  peace, 
He  sends  his  tempests  roaring  loud. 
And  sinks  them  in  the  seas  /" 

Similar  in  sentiment  is  that  line  of  C.  Wesley,  in  which 
he  prays  for  the  defeat  of  the  French  navy,  when  that 
nation  was  threatening  to  invade  England,  if  by  no 
other  possible  means, 

"  Sink  them  in  the  Channel,  Lord !" 


METHODIST    HTMNOLOGT.  44*7 

Hymn  619.  M  With  glory  clad,  with  strength  array'd." 

Tate  and  Brady. 
The  ninety-third  Psalm,  from  the  "  New  Version  " 
of  the  Psalms  of  David,  by  the  authors  whose  names 
are  given. 

Htmn  620.  " How  lovely  arc  thy  tents,  0  Lord!" — C.  Wesley. 
A  paraphrase  of  the  eighty-fourth  Psalm. 

Hymn  621.  "Who  Jesus  our  example  know." — C.  Wesley. 

"Now  Peter  and  John  went  up  together  into  the 
temple  at  the  hour  of  prayer."  Acts  iii,  1. 

Hymn  622.  "  Great  is  our  redeeming  Lord." — C.  Wesley. 

A  paraphrase  of  Psalm  xlviii,  containing  ten  stanzas  ; 
1,  6,  9,  and  10  of  which,  compose  our  hymn. 

Hymn  623.  "  Behold  thy  temple.  God  of  grace." 

Hymn  624.  "  To  Thee,  thou  high  and  lofty  One."— Mrs.  Palmer. 

The  latter  was  composed  for,  and  sung  at,  the  dedica- 
tion of  Mulberry-street  Church,  in  the  city  of  New- York. 

Hymn  625.  "Jesus,  my  God  and  King." — C.  Wesley. 

A  Hymn  to  Christ  the  King,  embracing  eleven  stan- 
zas ;  the  last  four  omitted.  One  of  those  excluded, 
verse  9,  contains  a  fine  description  of  the  expulsion  of 
the  rebel  angel  from  heaven.  The  expression  in  the 
last  line, 

"  Headlong  hurVd  to  deepest  hell  /" 

is  particularly  striking,  sense  and  sound  being  as  admi- 
rably combined  as  in  any  passage  of  our  best  English 
poets ;  Avhile  the  alliteration  in  three  out  of  five  words, 
gives  the  fine  a  finish  that  is  exquisite,  and  almost  inimi- 
table :— 


448  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

"  Thee,  when  the  Dragon's  pride 
To  battle  vain  defied, 

Brighter  than  the  Morning  Star, 
Lucifer,  as  lightning  fell, 

Far  from  heaven,  from  glory  far, 
Headlong  hurl'd  to  deepest  hell !" 

"  How  art  thou  fallen  from  heaven,  0  Lucifer,  son  of  the 
morning  !  how  art  thou  cut  down  to  the  ground  that 
didst  weaken  the  nations  !"  Isa.  xiv,  12.  "I  beheld 
Satan  as  lightning  fall  from  heaven."  Luke  x,  18. 

Hymn  626.  "  Earth,  rejoice,  the  Lord  is  King." — C.  Wesley. 

Fourteen  stanzas,  entitled,  "  To  be  suno-  in  a  Tu- 
mult;"  of  which  1,  2,  9,  10,  11,  and  12,  compose  our 
hymn.  Whatever  cause  there  formerly  may  have  been 
for  the  use  of  this  hymn,  wre  rejoice  to  think  that  while 
the  church  is  now  employing  the  stanzas  retained,  in 
celebrating  the  victories  of  the  cross,  the  omitted  verses 
have  become  obsolete,  for  want  of  a  "  tumult "  in  which 
to  sing  them.  The  reader  wrould,  perhaps,  be  pleased 
to  see  two  or  three  of  the  excluded  stanzas  ;  take  the 
third,  sixth,  and  eighth  : — 

"  Roaring  lion,  own  his  power : 
Us  thou  never  canst  devour, 
Pluck'd  we  are  out  of  thy  teeth, 
Saved  by  Christ  from  hell  and  death." 

"  Jesus  greater  we  proclaim, 
Him  in  us,  than  thee  in  them : 
Thee  their  god  he  overpowers, 
Thou  art  theirs,  and  Christ  is  ours." 

"  All  thy  hosts  to  battle  bring, 
Shouts  in  us  a  stronger  King, 
Lifts  our  hearts  and  voices  high — 
Hark !  the  morning  stars  reply." 

Then  follow  the  last  four  verses  of  our  hymn. 


METHODIST    HTMNOLOGY.  449 

Hymn  627.  "Come,  thou  Conqu'ror  of  the  nations.'' — C.  Wesley. 
This  is  a  paraphrase  of  Revelation  xix,  11-16  :  "  And 
I  saw  heaven  opened,  and  behold  a  white  horse ;  and 
he  that  sat  upon  him  was  called  Faithful  and  True ; 
and  in  righteousness  he  doth  judge  and  make  war,"  <fcc. 
The  fifth  stanza  omitted. 

Hymn  628.  "Father  of  boundless  grace." — C.  Wesley. 

"  It  shall  come,  that  I  will  gather  all  nations  and 
tongues;  and  they  shall  come,  and  see  my  glory." 
Isa.  lxvi,  18.     The  second  stanza  excluded. 

Hymn  629.  "  Head  of  thy  church,  whose  Spirit  fills."—  C.  Wesley. 
This  is  found  under  the  head,  "  Hymns  of  Interces- 
sion."    Eight  verses ;  the  second,  seventh,  and  eighth, 
rejected. 

Hymn  630.  "  Eternal  Lord  of  earth  and  skies." — C.  Wesley. 

"  Look  unto  me,  and  be  ye  saved,  all  the  ends  of  the 
earth :    for  I  am  God,  and  there  is  none  else.     I  have 

sworn  by  myself that  unto  me  every  knee  shall 

bow,  every  tongue  shall  swear."  Isa.  xlv,  22,  23. 

Hymn  631.  "Let  Sion  in  her  King  rejoice." — Watts. 

"God  fights  for  his  Church."  Psalm  xlvi,  6-11. 
The  author  wrote  the  second  line  of  the  first  verse 
thus, — "  Though  tyrants  rage,"  &c. 

Hymn  632.  "Arm  of  the  Lord,  awake,  awake!" — C.  Wesley. 

"  And  when  he  is  come,  he  will  reprove  the  world 
of  sin,  and  of  righteousness,  and  of  judgment."  John 
xvi,  8.  These  four  stanzas  are  selected  from  three 
different  hymns  for  Whitsunday,  or,  "  The  Promise  of 
the  Father." 


450  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGT. 

Hymn  633.  "  The  heavens  declare  thy  glory,  Lord." —  Watts. 

"  The  Books  of  Nature  and  of  Scripture  compared ; 
or,  the  Glory  and  Success  of  the  Gospel."  Psalm  xix. 
Six  stanzas  ;  the  last  omitted,  in  which  the  poet  changes 
the  grammatical  form,  thus  giving  a  forcible  personal 
application  to  the  singular  pronoim  in  the  last  couplet : — 

"  Thy  noblest  wonders  here  we  view 
In  souls  renew'd,  and  sins  forgiven : 
Lord,  cleanse  my  sins,  my  soul  renew, 
And  make  thy  word  my  guide  to  heaven." 

Hymn  634.  "  Saviour,  whom  our  hearts  adore." — C.  Wesley. 

The  occasion  of  this  hymn  is  indicated  in  its  title, 
"  On  the  American  War."     See  page  216. 

Hymn  635.  "  The  law  and  prophets  all  foretold." 
Hymn  636.  "  Jesus,  the  word  bestow." 
Hymn  637.  "  Saviour,  we  know  thou  art." 
Hymn  638.  "Lord,  if  at  thy  command." — C.  Wesley. 

These  four  hymns  are  from  the  author's  unpublished 
poetry,  now  in  the  possession  of  the  Wesleyan  Confer- 
ence, and  were  inserted  in  the  Supplement  added  in 
1 830  to  the  English  Hymn-book.  The  following  hymns 
were  inserted  at  the  same  time,  and  are  from  the  same 
source:— 621,  667,  676,  6*79,686,  687,  and  the  last 
two  verses  of  664. 


Hymn  639.  "  Listen !  O  Sion !    Jehovah  hath  spoken." 

Mrs.  Palmer. 

A  parody  on  "  Daughter  of  Sion,  awake  from  thy 

l" 


Hymn  640.  "From  Greenland's  icy  mountains." — Bishop Heber. 
This  beautiful  hymn  was  originally  intended  to  be 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  451 

sung  on  occasion  of  Mr.  Heber's  preaching  a  sermon  for 
the  Church  Missionary  Society,  in  April,  1820. 

Hymn  641.  "  Lord,  haste  to  claim  thy  purchased  right." 

Hymn  642.  "  Go,  holy  book !  thou  word  divine." 

Hymn  643.  "  The  God  of  heaven  reveals  to  man." 

Hymn  644.  "  As  wave  on  wave,  years  pass  away." — Mrs.  Palmer. 

Hymn  645.  ;;  Mercy,  descending  from  above." — J.  Straphan. 

"For  Sunday  or  Charity  Schools  !"  In  James  Mont- 
gomery's "  Chri  tian  Psalmist  "  the  first  and  third  stan- 
zas of  this  hymn  read  thus  : — 

'•  Bless'd  is  the  man  whose  heart  expands 
At  melting  Pity's  call ; 
And  the  rich  blessings  of  whose  hands 
Like  heavenly  manna  fall." 

"  Be  ours  the  bliss,  in  wisdom's  way 
To  guide  untutor d  youth ; 
And  lead  the  mind  that  went  astray 
To  virtue  and  to  truth." 

Hymn  646.  "  Come,  let  our  voices  join." — W.  Budden. 

This  was  first  published  in  the  "  Evangelical  Maga- 
zine "  for  1795,  with  the  initials  "  W.  B.,"  entitled,  "  A 
Hymn,  composed  for  the  Use  of  the  Congregation  and 
Sunday-school  Children,  belonging  to  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Ashburner's  Meeting,  Poole,  Dorset."  There  are  in  the 
Hymn-book  some  verbal  alterations,  and  the  omission  of 
the  second  stanza  and  chorus  : — 

CHILDREN. 

"  When  wand'ring  far  astray, 
In  paths  of  vice  and  sin, 
You  kindly  pointed  out 
The  danger  we  were  in. 


452  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 


CONGREGATION. 


"  To  God  alone  be  all  the  praise, 
Who  turns  your  feet  from  sinful  ways." 

Hymn  647.  "  Thou,  who  didst  with  love  and  blessing." 

Jane  Taylor. 

"  A  Public  Hymn  for  the  Teachers,"  from  a  small 

tract  of  "  Original  Hymns  for  Sunday  Schools.     By 

Ann  and  Jane  Taylor." 

Hymn  648.  "  Hail  the  day  that  sees  Him  rise." — C.  Wesley. 

"A  Hymn  for  Ascension  Day."     See  hymn  582,  for 
some  observations  on  the  first  line  of  verse  2, — 
"  There  the  pompous  triumph  waits." 

Hymn  649.  "Sons  of  God,  triumphant  rise." — C.  Wesley. 

On  the  Lord's  Supper ;  to  be  used  "  After  the  Sacra- 
ment." Eight  stanzas;  of  which  1,  2,  3,  and  8,  com- 
pose  our  hymn. 

Hymn  650.  "  Father,  God,  we  glorify."— C.  Wesley. 
For  our  Lord's  Resurrection. 

Hymn  651.  "  What  equal  honors  shall  we  bring." — Watts. 

"Christ's  Humiliation  and  Exaltation."  Rev.  v,  12. 
Some  verbal  alterations,  and  one  stanza,  the  fourth, 
omitted. 

Hymn  652.  "  God  is  gone  up  on  high." — C.  Wesley. 
For  Ascension  Day. 

Hymn  653.  "  Coming  through  our  great  High  Priest." — C.  Wesley. 
"Wherefore  he  is  able  also   to  save  them  to  the 
uttermost  that  come  unto  God  by  him,  seeing  he  ever 
liveth  to  make  intercession  for  them."  Heb.  vii,  25. 


METHODIST    HYMXOLOGY.  453 

Hymn  654  "  Come,  Holy  Spirit,  raise  our  songs." — C.  Wesley. 
"  For  the  Day  of  Pentecost :"  twelve  stanzas,  5,  G,  7, 
8,  and  9,  of  which,  form  verses  4,  5,  6,  7,  and  8,  of  our 
hymn ;  the  rest  are  excluded.  About  the  authorship 
of  the  first  three  verses  there  is  some  uncertainty. 
"They  appear,"  says  Mr.  Burgess,  "in  a  collection  of 
Psalms  and  Hymns,  published  in  1800,  by  Robert  Carr 
Brackenbury,  Esq.,  and  were  possibly  composed  by  that 
gentleman." 

Hymn  655.  "  Creator,  Spirit,  by  whose  aid." — Dryden. 

A  paraphrase  of  the  Latin  hymn,  "  Veni,  Creator 
Spiritus"  of  St.  Ambrose,  bishop  of  Milan,  in  the  fourth 
century.  There  are  some  alterations  in  it  stands  in  the 
Hymn-book,  and  two  stanzas  omitted. 

The  Rev.  J.  Chandler,  of  Corpus  Christi  College, 
Oxford,  who  translated,  and  published  in  1837,  a  col- 
lection of  "Hymns  of  the  Primitive  Church,"  says,  that 
in  the  primitive  times  each  day,  or  twenty -four  hours, 
was  "  parceled  out "  into  eight  services,  there  being  a 
service  at  the  end  of  every  three  hours :  "to  wit,  first, 
Nocturn,  12  at  night ;  second,  Matins,  3  in  the  morning ; 
third,  Ad  Primam,  0  A.  M. ;  fourth,  Ad  Tertiam,  9  A.  M. ; 
fifth,  Ad  Sextam,  12  in  the  day;  sixth,  Ad  Nonam, 
3  in  the  afternoon ;  seventh,  Vespers,  or  Evensong, 
6  P.  M. ;  eighth,  Completorium,  or  Conclusion,  9  P.  M." 

"  Ad  Tertiam,  or  9  A.  M.,  is  invariably  a  hymn  to  the 
Holy  Spirit,  as  being  the  hour  in  which,  on  the  day  of 
Pentecost,  he  came  down  on  the  apostles.  This  seems 
to  have  been  observed  from  the  very  earliest  times; 
most  likely  the  '  Veni  Creator'  of  St.  Ambrose,  was 
merely  a  new  hymn  written  by  him  on  a  subject  already 
familiar  to  the  church,  from  the  apostle?  downward." 


454  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  656.  "  Jesus,  we  on  the  words  depend." — C.  Wesley. 

"These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,  being  yet 
present  with  you.  But  the  Comforter,  which  is  the 
Holy  Ghost,  whom  the  Father  will  send  in  my  name, 
he  shall  teach  you  all  things,  and  bring  all  things  to 
your  remembrance,  whatsoever  I  have  said  unto  you. 
Peace  I  leave  with  you,  my  peace  I  give  unto  you :  not 
as  the  world  giveth,  give  I  unto  you."  John  xiv,  25, 
26,  27. 

Hymn  657.  "  Sovereign  of  all  the  worlds  on  high." — Doddridge. 
"A  Filial  Temper,  the  Work  of  the  Spirit,  and  a  Proof 
of  Adoption."  Gal.  iv,  6.    The  last  stanza  omitted.    The 
author  wrote  the  third  line,  first  verse,  thus, — 
"  Nor,  while  a  worm  ivould  raise  its  head." 

There  are  other  emendations,  the  most  important  of 
which  are  in  the  second  verse,  which  originally  read  as 
follows  : — 

"  My  Father  God !  how  sweet  the  sound  ! 
How  tender  and  how  dear  ! 
Not  all  the  melody  of  heaven 
Could  so  delight  the  ear." 

Hymn  658.  "  Eternal  Spirit,  come." 

Hymn  659.  "  Father,  glorify  thy  Son."—  C.  Wesley. 

The  latter  founded  on  John  xiv,  16,  1*1:  "And  I 
will  pray  the  Father,  and  he  shall  give  you  another 
Comforter,  that  he  may  abide  with  you  for  ever;  even 
the  Spirit  of  truth ;  whom  the  world  cannot  receive, 
because  it  seeth  him  not,  neither  knoweth  him :  but  ye 
know  him ;  for  he  dwelleth  with  you,  and  shall  be  in 
you."  One  stanza  omitted  from  hymn  658,  and  two 
from  659. 


METHODIST    IIYMNOLOGY.  455 

Hymn  660.  "  Though  nature's  strength  decay."—  Olivers. 
Second  and  third  parts  of  hymn  2*70,  which  see. 

Hymn  661.  "Eternal  Source  of  every  joy." — Doddridge. 

"The  Year  crowned  with  the  Divine  Goodness." 
Psalm  lxv,  11.     For  New- Year's  Day. 

Hymn  662.  "  Wisdom  ascribe,  and  might,  and  praise." 

C.  Wesley. 

The  first  of  the  author's  New- Year  Hymns.  Six 
stanzas  ;  the  third,  fourth,  and  sixth,  excluded.  There 
are  few  more  beautifully  sublime  passages  in  our  Hymn- 
book  than  the  fourth  stanza,  especially  the  last  line. 
The  idea  of  the  poet  is  that  of  a  sinner  weighed  in  the 
"  balance  "  of  the  gospel,  and  found  wanting :  the  beam 
begins  to  preponderate,  a  soul  is  about  to  topple  into 
hell ;  but,  hark  !  the  "  remnant "  are  praying,  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  groaning,  the  Son  interceding,  the  Father  be- 
comes propitious,  and  the  swift-winged  angel  of  mercy 
executes  his  commission  by  touching  the  quivering 
scale,  and,  lo  !  that  soul  is  saved : — 

"  Still  in  the  doubtful  balance  weigh'd, 
We  trembled,  while  the  remnant  pray'd ; 
The  Father  heard  his  Spirit  groan, 
And  answer'd  mild,  It  is  my  Son ! 
He  let  the  prayer  of  faith  prevail, 
And  Mercy  turned  the  hotfring  scale !" 

The  term  "  remnant "  in  the  second  line  probably  re- 
fers to  Romans  ix,  27  :  "  Though  the  number  of  the 
children  of  Israel  be  as  the  sand  of  the  sea,  a  remnant 
shall  be  saved." 

Hymn  663.  "  God  of  my  life,  through  all  my  days." — Doddridge. 
"  Praising  God  through  the  whole  of  our  Existence," 


456  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

Psa.  cxlvi,  2.  This  is  a  delightful  hymn  ;  through  the 
third  verse  there  runs  a  strain  of  delicate  but  expres- 
sive thought,  quite  in  keeping  with  the  solemnity  of  the 
subject : — 

"  When  death  o'er  nature  shall  prevail, 
And  all  the  powers  of  language  fail, 
Joy  through  my  swimming  eyes  shall  break, 
And  mean  the  thanks  I  cannot  speak." 

Hymn  664.  "Jesus,  was  ever  love  like  thine  ?" — C.  Wesley. 

"  Jesus,  when  he  had  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  yielded 
up  the  ghost,"  [dismissed  his  spirit.  Gr^\  Matt,  xxvii,  50. 
The  first  verse  is  founded  on  this  text,  in  the  author's 
Scripture  Hymns ;  the  last  two  verses  are  from  his  un- 
published poetry. 

Hymn  665.  "  Tremendous  God,  with  humble  fear." — C.  Wesley. 

"  It  is  appointed  unto  men  once  to  die."  Heb.  ix,  27. 

This  hymn  was  originally  published  in  the  Arminian 

Magazine  in  1780.     The  sentiment  of  the  last  line  of  the 

second  verse,  is,  we  think,  too  unguarded.     Man  is  not 

"  Born  only  to  lament  and  die !" 

Hymn  666.  "  I  call  the  world's  Redeemer  mine." — C.  Wesley. 

"  I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth,  and  that  he  shall 
stand  at  the  last  day  upon  the  earth :  and  though  after 
my  skin  worms  destroy  this  body,  yet  in  my  flesh  shall 
I  see  God:  Avhom  I  shall  see  for  myself,  and  mine 
eyes  shall  behold,  and  not  another ;  though  my  veins 
be  consumed  within  me."  Job  xix,  25-27.  Charles 
Wesley,  by  adopting  the  idea  and  language  of  the  trans- 
lators of  the  authorized  version  of  the  Bible,  "  though 
after  my  skin  worms  destroy  this  body,'"  (the  italicized 


METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY.  45*7 

words  not  being  in  the  original  text,)  has  in  this  hymn 
fallen  into  the  universal  vulgar  error  that  worms  destroy 
the  human  body  after  sepulture  in  the  earth.  His  lan- 
guage in  verses  2  and  4  is, — 

"  And  though  the  vxrnns  this  skin  devour" 
"  Then  let  the  worms  demand  their  prey." 

Among  the  authors  of  our  hymns,  two  others,  Watts 
and  Hart,  in  hymns  554  and  5*70,  have  used  similar 
expressions,  which  are  neither  found  in  the  original 
Scriptures,  nor  founded  upon  fact. 

Hymn  667.  "  May  not  a  creating  God." — C.  Wesley. 

From  the  author's  unpublished   manuscripts.     See 
hymn  635,  &c. 

Hymn  668.  "Almighty  Maker  of  my  frame."— Steele. 

A  paraphrase  of  Psalm  xxxix,  embracing  thirteen 
stanzas,  which  open  thus  : — 

"  When  I  resolved  to  watch  my  thoughts, 
To  watch  my  words  and  all  my  ways, 
Lest  I  should  with  unwary  faults 

Offend  the  God  my  life  should  praise ; 

"  In  mournful  silence  long  rcstrain'd, 

My  thoughts  were  prcss'd  with  sacred  grief ; 
My  heart  with  sad  reflection  pain'd, 
In  silence  found  no  kind  relief. 

"  While  thus  the  inward  anguish  burn'd. 

My  straiten'd  speech  at  length  found  way ; 
My  tongue  in  broken  accents  mourn'd 
Before  my  God,  and  tried  to  pray." 

Then  follow  in  consecutive  order  the  four  stanzas  that 
compose  our  hymn  :  the  last  six,  and  the  above  three, 
being  omitted. 

20 


458  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  669.  "  O  when  shall  we  sweetly  remove." — C.  Wesley. 

A  Funeral  Hymn  of  six  stanzas ;  the  third  and  sixth 
excluded.  The  former  stanza,  in  lines  four  and  eight, 
contains  sentiments  characteristic  of  the  brothers  Wes- 
ley on  the  subject  of  dying.  Death  to  them  was  a 
familiar  topic.  They  frequently  expressed  a  desire  to 
"cease  at  once  to  work  and  live."  The  verse  reads 
thus  : — 

"  Who  then  upon  earth  can  conceive, 

The  bliss  that  in  heaven  they  share ; 
Who  then  the  dark  world  would  not  leave, 

And  cheerfully  die  to  be  there  ? 
0  Saviour,  regard  our  complaints, 

Array'd  in  thy  majesty,  come, 
Fulfill  the  desire  of  thy  saints, 

And  suddenly  gather  us  home  /" 

Hymn  670.  "  Lord  of  the  wide,  extensive  main." — C.  Wesley. 

"  To  be  sung  at  Sea."  The  last  verse  omitted.  This 
hymn  was  probably  composed  by  our  poet  previous  to 
his  and  his  brother's  mission  to  America,  and  in  view  of 
their  departure  from  their  native  land.  Hence  the  pro- 
priety of  the  language  of  the  second  stanza : — 

"  For  Thee  we  leave  our  native  shore — 
We,  whom  thy  love  delights  to  keep — 
In  other  worlds  thy  works  explore, 
And  see  thy  wonders  in  the  deep." 

Hymn  671.  "  Give  me  the  wings  of  faith,  to  rise." — Watts. 
"  The  Examples  of  Christ  and  the  Saints." 

Hymn  672.  "  Where  shall  true  believers  go." — C.  Wesley. 
From  "  Hymns  for  Children,"  entitled,  "  Of  Heaven." 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  459 

Hymn  673.  "  Father  of  all,  thy  care  we  bless." — Doddridge. 

"  God's  Gracious  Approbation  of  a  Religious  Care  of 
our  Families."  Gen.  xviii,  19.  The  author  wrote  the 
first  line  of  the  hymn, — " Father  of  men"  &c. 

Hymn  674.  "  God  of  eternal  truth  and  love." — C.  Wesley. 

"At  the  Baptism  of  a  Child."  The  second  stanza 
omitted. 

Hymn  675.  "  How  large  the  promise,  how  divine." — Watts. 

"Abraham's  Blessing  on  the  Gentiles."  Gen  xvii,  7  ; 
Rom.  xv,  8  ;  Mark  x,  14. 

Hymn  676.  :t  Lord  of  all,  with  pure  intent."— C.  Wesley. 

From  the  author's  unpublished  poetry.  See  hymn 
635,  &c. 

Hymn  677.  "  See  Israel's  gentle  Shepherd  stand." — Doddridge. 

"  Christ's  Condescending  Regard  to  Little  Children." 
Mark  x,  14.  The  fourth  and  fifth  verses  omitted :  the 
former  we  insert : — 

"  Ye  little  flock,  with  pleasure  hear : 
Ye  children,  seek  his  face ; 
And  fly  with  transport  to  receive 
The  blessings  of  his  grace." 

Hymn  678.  "  The  Saviour,  when  to  heaven  he  rose." — Doddridge. 

"  The  Institution  of  a  Gospel  Ministry  from  Christ." 
Epli.  iv,  11,  12.  "For  the  Ordination  or  Settlement 
of  a  Minister."  Seven  stanzas ;  the  first,  and  the  moity 
of  the  third  and  fourth  omitted.  The  last  two  verses 
are  inserted  as  written  by  the  author : — 


460  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

"  Hence  sprung  th'  apostles'  honor'd  name, 
Sacred  beyond  heroic  fame ; 
Hence  dictates  the  prophetic  sage, 
And  hence  the  evangelic  page. 

"  In  lowlier  forms,  to  bless  our  eyes, 
Pastors  from  hence,  and  teachers  rise ; 
Who,  though  with  feebler  rays  they  shine. 
Still  gild  a  long-extended  line." 

Hymn  679.  "Jesus,  thy  servants  bless." — C.  Wesley. 

From  the  author's  unpublished  manuscripts.  See 
hymn  635,  &c. 

Hymn  680.  "  O  God !  how  often  hath  thine  ear."—  W.  M.  Bunting. 

"  The  Covenant  with  God  renewed.  A  Hymn  for 
the  New  Year."  This  was  originally  published  by  the 
author  in  the  Wesleyan  Methodist  Magazine,  for  1824. 

Hymn  681.  "  0  how  shall  a  sinner  perform." — C.  Wesley. 
This  is  found  under  the  head,  "  In  Temptation." 

Hymn  682.  "  O  happy  day  that  fix'd  my  choice." — Doddridge. 

"Rejoicing  in  our  Covenant  Engagements  to  God." 
2  Chron.  xv,  15.  The  author  wrote  the  last  couplet  of 
the  fourth  verse  thus, — 

"  With  ashes  who  would  grudge  to  part, 
When  call'd  on  angels'  bread  to  feast  ?" 

Blessed  is  the  man,  says  Mr.  Montgomery,  who  can 
take  the  words  of  this  hymn,  and  make  them  his  own, 
from  similar  experience. 

Hymn  683.  "  Hark,  my  soul !  it  is  the  Lord."—  Cowper. 

This  beautiful  hymn  is  founded  upon  our  Saviour's 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  461 

second  question  to  Simon  Peter,  "  Lovest  thou  me  V9 
John  xxi,  16. 

Hymn  684.  "  Thou  sweet-gliding  Kedron,  by  thy  silver  streams." 

De  Fleury. 

The  Garden  of  Olivet.  One  stanza,  the  fourth,  omitted. 
The  first  line  of  the  hymn  has  been  the  subject  of 
comment  and  criticism.  The  authoress  wrote,  "  Thou 
soft-flowing  Kedron,  by  thy  silver  stream ;"  not  "  sweet- 
gliding  streams,"  as  in  the  Hymn-book,  neither  of  which 
descriptions  are  very  characteristic  of  the  muddy  stream- 
let that  flows  only  about  three  months  in  the  year, 
during  the  heavy  rains.  The  second  stanza  also  is  ob- 
jectionable, the  sentiments  being  rather  vapid ;  and,  in 
the  last  couplet,  far-fetched  and  unnatural. 

Hymn  685.  "  Thou  Fount  of  every  good  required." — Mrs.  Palmer. 

Hymn  686.  "  Lord,  whom  winds  and  seas  obey." 

Hy3in  687.  "  Lord  of  earth,  and  air,  and  sea." — C.  Wesley. 

From  the  author's  inedited  poetry.    See  hymns  635,  &c. 

Hymn  688.  "  0  Thou  that  hangedst  on  the  tree." — C.  Wesley. 

"  Let  the  sighing  of  the  prisoner  come  before  thee ; 
according  to  the  greatness  of  thy  power  preserve  thou 
those  that  are  appointed  to  die."  Psalm  Ixxix,  11.  A 
hymn  for  condemned  malefactors,  containing  fourteen 
stanzas;  2,  3,  12,  13,  and  14  of  which,  are  omitted. 
The  first  of  these  reads  thus, — 

"  Outcasts  of  men,  to  thee  we  fly, 

To  thee  who  wilt  the  worst  receive, 
Forgive,  and  make  us  fit  to  die ; 
Alas  !  we  arc  not  fit  to  live." 

The  dilatation  on  faith,  in  verses  3,  4,  and  5,  is  one 
of  the  most  admirable  expositions  of  cardinal  doctrines 


462  METHODIST   HYMNOLOGY. 

of  our  holy  religion  to  be  found  in  the  book,  and  in 
poetry,  as  well  as  piety,  is  worthy  of  the  distinguished 
author. 

Hymn  689.  "  Hail,  Father!  whose  creating  call." — S.Wesley,  Jun. 
"  A  Hymn  to  God  the  Father."  This  is  one  of  four 
excellent  hymns  by  the  same  poet,  entitled  respectively, 
as  the  above,  then,  "  to  God  the  Son,"  "  to  God  the 
Holy  Ghost,"  and,  "  to  the  Trinity,  Three  Persons  in 
one  God."  These  are  all,  except  the  last,  inserted  in 
the  Wesleyan  Hymn-book. 

Hymn  690.  "  Hail,  co-essential  Three!" — C.  Wesley. 

To  the  Trinity,  found  under  the  head,  "  Hymns  and 
Prayers  to  the  Trinity." 

Hymn  691.  "Infinite  God,  to  thee  we  raise." — C.  Wesley. 

This  is  an  elegant  paraphrase  of  that  sublime  devo- 
tional piece  in  the  Liturgy  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church, —  Te  Deum  laudamus.  "It  is  questionable," 
says  Mr.  Benjamin  Love,  in  his  Records  of  Wesleyan 
Life,  "  whether  there  is  any  production  merely  human, 
worthy  of  being  considered  a  rival  to  the  Te  Benin ; 
and  that  person  must  be  dead  indeed  to  every  spiritual 
feeling  and  emotion  who  can  utter  with  his  lips  its 
touching  sentences,  and  remain  in  heart  unaffected  and 
unimpressed ;  who  can  repeat  the  solemn  truth,  '  We 
believe  that  Thou  shalt  come  to  be  our  Judge,'  and  not 
be  unmoved  ;"  or  sing,  in  the  strain  of  the  Methodist 
poet, — 

"  And  Thou,  with  judgment  clad,  shalt  come 
To  seal  our  everlasting  doom." 

This  paraphrase  on  the  Te  Deum  has  been  ascribed 


METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY.  463 

to  Dry  den ;  but  his  version  is  far  inferior  to  C.  Wes- 
ley's ;  it  is  in  the  usual  decasyllabic  verse,  and  com- 
mences thus, — 

';  Thee,  sovereign  God,  our  grateful  accents  praise ; 
We  own  thee,  Lord,  and  bless  thy  wond'rous  ways." 

Hymn  692.  "  God  is  a  name  my  soul  adores." — Watts. 

From  the  author's  Lyric  Poems,  entitled,  "  The 
Creator  and  Creatures."  Two  stanzas,  second  and  sixth, 
omitted  ;  the  latter  of  which  is  here  given : — 

"  Thrones  and  dominions  round  Thee  fall, 
And  worship  in  submissive  forms ; 
Thy  presence  shakes  this  lower  ball, 
This  little  dwelling-place  of  worms." 

Hymn  693.  "  The  Lord  Jehovah  reigns." — Watts. 

The  original  title  to  this  is,  "The  Divine  Perfec- 
tions." The  author  wrote  the  first  couplet  of  verse  3 
thus, — 

"  Through  all  his  ancient  works 
Surprising  wisdom  shines ;" 

and  the  first  line  of  the  fourth  verse, — 
"  And  will  this  mighty  King." 

Hymn  694.  "  Lord  of  the  sabbath,  hear  our  vows." — Doddridge. 

"  The  Eternal  Sabbath."  "  There  remaineth,  there- 
fore, a  rest  to  the  people  of  God."  Hebrews  iv,  9. 
Doddridge  wrote  the  last  line  of  the  first  verse, — 

"  The  songs  which  from  the  desert  rise." 

Hymn  695.  "Again  our  weekly  labors  end." — J.  Stennett. 
The  same  as  hymn  529,  on  which  see  our  remarks. 


464  METHODIST    HYMNOLOGY. 

Hymn  696.  "  Far  as  creation's  bounds  extend."— Merrick. 

A  paraphrase  of  Psalm  cxlv,  9-13,  15-19.  The 
author  wrote  the  first  couplet  of  verse  2  thus, — 

"  The  splendors  of  thy  kindom  tell, 
Delighted  on  thy  wonders  dwell  f 

and  the  last  couplet  of  the  third  verse  thus, — 

"  Thy  ways  eternal  justice  guides 
And  mercy  o'er  thine  act  presides." 

Hymn  697.  "  Eternal  depth  of  love  divine." — J.  Wesley. 

A  translation  from  the  German,  entitled  "  God  with 
us,"  containing  eight  quatrains  ;  the  sixth  and  seventh 
omitted.     They  are  here  subjoined :  — 

"  Still  on  thee,  Father,  may  we  rest ! 
Still  may  we  pant  thy  Son  to  know ! 
Thy  Spirit  breathe  into  our  breast, 
Fountains  of  peace  and  joy  below. 

"  Oft  have  we  seen  thy  mighty  power, 

Since  from  the  world  thou  mad'st  us  free ; 
Still  may  we  praise  thee  more  and  more, 
Our  hearts  more  firmly  knit  to  thee." 


INDEX 


Addison Page  51,87,252,253 

Aitkin 50 

Authors  of  the  hymns 11,  84,  91 

Bakewell,  Rev.  John 67,88 

Beard,  Rev.  T.,  Hymn  on  Death 163 

Beddome,  Rev.  B 40 

;t  Blow  ye  the  trumpet,  blow  " 186 

Book  of  Common-Prayer 151,  261 

Boswell 56 

Brackenbury,  Rev.  R.  C 453 

Bradburn,  Rev.  S.,  quoted 18,  270 

Brady  and  Tate 13 

Brevint,  Dr 127 

Budden,W 90 

Bulmer,  Agnes 80 

Bunting,  W.  M 76 

Burgess,  Rev.  W.  P.,  sketch  of 12 

,  his  Wesleyan  Hymnology 12 

Cennick,  Rev.  John 68,  88 

,  ':  Graces,"  by 69 

Chauncey,  Dr 32 

Clarke,  Dr.  Adam,  on  Psalm  cxlviii 296 

,  on  Music  in  Churches 391 

Coke,  Rev.  Dr 225 

Colliers  of  Kingswood 395 

Covenant  Hymn 377 

Cowper 40,  60,  88,  364 

Damocles  and  Dionysius 246 

DeFleury,  Maria 90 

20* 


466  INDEX. 

Doddridge's  hymns Page  40,  43,  87 

Doggerel  hymns 220,  222 

Donnington  Park 119 

Dryden 89 

Earthquakes,  C.  Wesley's  Sermon  on  the  Cause  and  Cure  of.  1 70 

Earthquake  felt  in  England 169,  175 

Elegy  on  the  Death  of  Rev.  John  "Wesley 78 

on  the  Death  of  R.  Jones,  Esq 124 

English  Wesleyan  Hymn-hook 19 

Everett,  Rev.  James,  mentioned 12 

Everett's  Wesleyan  Takings 12 

Fawcett,  Rev.  Dr 82,  89 

Eire  at  Epworth,  a  relic  of  the 284 

Elamstead's  Letter  concerning  Earthquakes 171 

Fletcher,  Rev.  John 337,  347,  353,  367,  369,  375 

Franklin's  epitaph 403 

Funeral  Hymns,  Wesley's 1 79,  180 

Gambold,  Bishop 68,  70,  88 

,  epitaph  on 70 

German,  hymns  translated  from  the 19 

Gilbert,  Mrs. 73 

"  God  save  the  King,"  original  tune  of 310 

Gray,  the  poet 318 

Georgia  orphans,  hymns  for  the 158 

Hall,  Bishop,  quoted 249 

Hammond,  Rev.  William 84 

Hart,  Rev.  Joseph 81,  89 

Hart  and  Watts 90 

Hastings,  the  ladies 118 

Heber,  Bishop 40,  79 

Herbert's  Poems 95 

Hervey,  Rev.  James 183 

Hicks,  Rev.  Dr.,  poems  by 95 

Holland,  John 52,  75 

Holy  Club,  the 217 

Huntingdon,  countess  of 118 


INDEX.  46*7 

Hymn-book  of  the  Methodist  E.  Church Page  11,  91,  226 

Jackson,  Rev.  Thomas 19 

"  Jacob's  Ladder" 196 

Johnson,  Dr.  Samuel 29,  50,  56 

Kenn,  Bishop 72,  89 

,  Manual  of  Prayer  by 73 

Kennaday,  Dr 90 

Law,  William,  quoted 249 

Liefchild's  Original  Hymns 77 

Liturgy,  Mr.  Wesley's  Abridgment  of,  for  the  Methodist 

Episcopal  Church 153 

Mallett 56 

Marriott,  Thomas 94 

Marwell,  Andrew 55,  293 

Mason,  Rev.  John 71,  88 

Maxwell,  Lady 302 

Medley,  Rev.  Samuel 64,  89 

Merrick,  Rev.  James 75 

"  Messiah's  Kingdom,"  by  Mrs.  Bulmer 80 

Methodism,  difficulties  of 131 

Milner  gives  precedence  to  Watts  among  hymn- writers 32 

Milton,  quoted 228,  240,  267 

Montgomery,  James,  mentioned 17,  416 

Montgomery's  Christian  Psalmist 30,  125 

Moore,  Rev.  Henry 185,  209 

Moravian  Church 114 

Hymns 20,  23,  24 

More,  Dr.  Henry 83 

Newton,  Rev.  John 40,  56,  88 

Notes  to  the  English  Hymn-book 226 

Olivers,  Thomas 77 

Olney  Hymns 59,62 

<  Irphan  House 158 

Oxford  Methodists 217 


468  INDEX. 

Palmer,  Mrs Page  90 

Pope,  quoted 231 

Psalms,  New  Version  of  the 75 

"  Rise,  my  Soul,  and  stretch  thy  Wings  " 70 

Roberts,  Rev.  Thomas,  his  Hymnology 154 

on  Charles  Wesley  as  a  Poet 430 

Robinson,  Rev.  Robert 66,  314 

"  Rock  of  ages,"  &c 47 

Rowe,  Mrs.  Elizabeth 121 

Seagrave,  Rev.  Robert 70 

Shakspeare,  quoted 264 

Singing  by  the  Methodists 192 

u  Sketches  of  Wesleyan  Preachers,"  quoted 76 

Steele,  Mrs.  Anne 65,  88 

Stennett,  Rev.  Joseph 64,  88,  246 

Stennett,  Rev.  Samuel 63,  88 

Summers,  Rev.  Dr.,  quoted 248 

Supplement  to  the  Wesleyan  Hymn-book 225 

Tate  and  Brady 13,  75,  89 

Taylor,  John 56 

Taylor,  Thomas 60 

Taylor,  Jane 73,  74 

"TeDeum" 462 

Terskegen,  Gerhard 25 

Thompson,  Capt,  of  Hull 55 

Tickell 51 

Toplady,  Rev.  A.  M 40,44 

,  some  of  Wesley's  hymns  attributed  to  him 45,  87 

Translations  from  the  German 19 

Traveler's  Hymn 54 

Watchnight 134,276 

Watson,  Rev.  Richard 19,  364,  365 

Watts,  Dr.  Isaac 30 

,  faults  of  his  hymns 38 

3  his  Divine  Songs 41 

— — ,  hymns  by 85 


INDEX.  469 

Watts,  satirical  poem  on Page  42 

,  some  of  his  hymns  revised  by  J.  Wesley 33,  156 

Watts  and  Wesley 91 

Wesley,  Rev.  C 12 

,  attacked  by  a  mob  at  Devizes 438 

,  character  of  his  hymns,  by  John  Wesley 223 

,  his  character  as  a  preacher  and  a  poet 13,17 

,  his  hymns  revised  by  his  brother  John 14 

,  his  talents  not  yet  duly  appreciated 38 

,  hymn  by,  on  recovery  from  sickness 250 

,  Mr.  Moore's  description  of 424 

,  not  wanting  in  genius 37 

,  poem  containing  his  religious  history 107 

Wesley,  Rev.  John 18 

,  hymns  by 84 

,  preached  in  the  German  language 22 

,  translated  the  hymns  from  the  German 19 

Wesley,  John  and  Charles,  agree  not  to  distinguish  their 

hymns 18 

,  Poem,  containing  their  religious  views  before  conver- 
sion    97 

Wesley,  John  and  Charles,  poetical  publications  of 93 

A  Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns,  1738 93 

Hymns  and  Sacred  Poems,  1 739 94 

Hymns  and  Sacred  Poems,  1740 106 

Hymns  and  Sacred  Poems,  1 742 113 

Collection  of  Moral  and  Sacred  Poems,  1 744 1 23 

Hymns  on  the  Lord's  Supper,  1745 127 

Hymns  for  Times  of  Trouble  and  Persecution,  1745 132 

Hymns  for  the  Watchnight 135 

Hymns  for  the  Nativity,  1745 135 

Hymns  for  Thanksgiving-day,  October  9, 1 746 137 

Graces  after  Meat 139 

Hymns  on  Redemption  in  the  Blood  of  Christ,  1746 143 

Hymns  of  Petition  and  Thanksgiving,  &e 147 

Hymns  for  Ascension  Day .  ..    .   ...    14^ 

Hymns  for  our  Lord's  Resurrection 1 50 

Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns KS8 

Psalms  and  Hymns,  1748 155 

Hymns  and  Sacred  Poems,  1749 161 


470  INDEX. 

Hymns  occasioned  by  the  Earthquake,  1750 Page  170 

Gloria  Patri,  a  Hymn  to  the  Trinity 1 73 

Hymns  for  the  Year  1756,  particularly  for  the  Fast-day. .   175 

Hymns  for  the  Methodist  Preachers,  1 758 178 

Funeral  Hymns 179 

Funeral  Hymns,  1759 180 

Hymns  for  New- Year's  Day,  1755 185 

Hymns  on  God's  Everlasting  Love,  1756 --   186 

Hymns  of  Intercession  for  all  Mankind,  1 758 187 

Hymns  on  the  Expected  Invasion,  1759 189 

Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs 190 

Select  Hymns  for  Christians  of  all  Denominations,  1761.   191 

Short  Hymns  on  Select  Passages  of  Scripture,  1762 193 

Hymns  for  Children  and  others  of  Riper  Years,  1766  .. .  202 

Hymns  for  the  Use  of  Families,  1767 208 

Hymns  on  the  Trinity,  1767 211 

Preparation  for  Death,  in  Several  Hymns,  1772 213 

Hymns  written  in  the  Time  of  the  Tumults,  1780 215 

Hymns  for  the  Nation,  1782 216 

Prayers  for  Condemned  Malefactors 217 

Pocket  Hymn-book  for  Christians,  &c,  1785 218 

Hymns  for  the  Use  of  the  People  called  Methodists,  1780.  222 

Wesley,  Rev.  Samuel,  Sen 27 

,  hymn  by 85 

,  Poem  on,  by  his  son 27 

Wesley,  Rev.  Samuel,  Jun 28 

,  hymns  by 85 

,  some  of  his  poems  in  Southey's  Specimens  of  British 

Poets 29 

Wesley,  Miss  Sarah 21 

Whitefield,  Rev.  George 73,  109,  158,  249 

,  hymn  on  his  embarking  for  America 108 

"  Wrestling  Jacob  " 181,254 

Young,  Dr.,  quoted 237,  432 

Zeal,  Poem  on,  by  John  Wesley 100 

Zinzend^rf,  Count  ;.... -.T 114 

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